[nagdu] No Rest for Pooper Scoopers

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Sat Dec 10 15:37:07 UTC 2011


I doesn't much surprise me that some at the 23rd Street building pulled
the "I can't; I'm blind" baloney.  That's practically the motto of the
place.  If it was a shepherd, that pretty much makes either Fidelco or
Seeing Eye.  I know TSE trains students how to pick up, and insists on it
the last couple weeks of class.
Near one of Ben's regular stopping places, there's a worker guy around who
helpfully points out if I've missed a bit. I always thank him.
Tracy

>
> OMG! Well, as a guide dog user, I have had to ask for help finding a
> stray deposit from passersby... Although I work hard to make sure I
> don't have to embarrass myself that way. Isn't it my responsibility to
> pay attention so I can grab the handy bag out of my purse or pocket and
> clean up?
>
> So I get real mad when I'm harrassed about other dogs' poop! And it does
> happenI've never tried getting in someone's face and screaming "psycho!"
> though... Then again, in our weirdly friendly culture here, that
> wouldn't be as much fun. I have got to go to New York where you can yell
> at crazies and be cheered! /lol/
>
> Tami
>
>
> On 12/09/2011 06:04 AM, Ginger Kutsch wrote:
>> No Rest for Pooper Scoopers
>>
>> by Dorri Olds
>>
>> Petside.com
>>
>> http://www.petside.com/article/no-rest-pooper-scoopers
>>
>>
>>
>> Despite some perceptions from the "dogless", not every dog owner is
>> irresponsible with their canine's poop.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Who's going to pick that up?" My sunny stroll down West 23rd Street was
>> interrupted by shrieking. A woman in a polyester pantsuit raged over a
>> curbside poop deposit left by a German Shepherd guide dog.
>>
>> "Lady, what do you want me to do?" the owner whimpered in defense. He
>> tapped
>> on his dark glasses. "I can't see it."
>>
>> "Humph" snorted Ms. Pantsuit and stomped past the Chelsea blind center.
>> I
>> felt sorry for the guy-but not enough to clean it up.
>>
>> I've been yelled at more times than I can recall for poop that didn't
>> belong
>> to my dog.
>>
>> One sunny afternoon my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Buddy James, and I
>> were enjoying our afternoon jaunt. My iPhone rang. It was a client. No
>> sooner had I picked up when a middle-aged man came charging at me, sweat
>> flying off his brow.
>>
>> "Hey lady, clean up your dog's crap!" The man's arms flailed about as he
>> gestured toward a spot on the sidewalk. "AND GET OFF YOUR PHONE."
>>
>> I said to my client loud enough for him to hear, "Sorry, gotta go, ran
>> into
>> a crazy." That client, a fellow New Yorker, understood my shorthand-no
>> questions asked.
>>
>> I looked at him with distaste and in my best schoolmarm tone said, "What
>> happened to, 'Excuse me, Miss?'"
>>
>> He yelled louder and that's when I lost it. I jutted my face into his,
>> nose-tip to nose-tip and screamed, "You psycho." He seemed frightened
>> and
>> backed away. As he scurried off I heard him mumbling, "People always on
>> their goddamn cell phones."
>>
>> My loss of composure rattled me. I yell once, maybe twice, per year. A
>> woman
>> with a child hurried by eyeing me as if I were the lunatic. Two workmen
>> across the street burst out laughing and into applause. They'd obviously
>> witnessed the exchange and grinned at me with approval. As they clapped
>> the
>> men shouted, "Psycho! Psycho!" An elderly woman in curlers leaned out of
>> her
>> apartment window and chuckled, "Yup, he had that coming."
>>
>> After Mr. Psycho had scurried away, I retraced my steps and found the
>> sidewalk poop pile-evidence of my alleged crime. Upon inspection, it
>> became
>> clear Buddy was not the culprit who'd left this mess. A mother can
>> discern
>> these things.
>>
>> If Buddy spritzes on a tree, nature preservationists bark at me. If he
>> lets
>> loose on a curbside trash bag, sanitation workers chew me out. Other dog
>> owners allow their little darlings to lift legs onto flower beds but not
>> me.
>> My code of ethics also requires Buddy to steer clear of parked cars and
>> bikes. The only socially acceptable options left are fire hydrants and
>> rare
>> bare patches of unoccupied street.
>>
>> During a walk to Madison Park's dog run, Buddy stopped to tinkle at an
>> empty
>> bus stop on Fifth Avenue. A man with neck veins a-popping, drove right
>> up
>> next to us and yelled, "That's nasty!" Not knowing how to respond I
>> said,
>> "I'm sure when you go, it's nasty too."
>>
>> I'm more courteous than most. Carrying a water bottle during walks, I
>> splash
>> untidy spots left by my Bud. My environmental conscientiousness makes me
>> buy
>> biodegradable bags. In addition, I carry my empty soda bottles and cans
>> outside to leave for the homeless to collect five-cent refunds. After
>> lovingly placing my bottles into a trash can, I reuse the bag I carried
>> them
>> in for my next scoop. Unlike others, I never let my dog pull me
>> willy-nilly
>> zigzagging down the street. No, I religiously follow Manhattan's
>> unspoken
>> sidewalk law of sticking to the right "lane" so as not to clog
>> pedestrian
>> traffic.
>>
>> And yet, Buddy and I are often harassed. I can only wonder if the city's
>> dogless will ever realize that not every dog owner is irresponsible with
>> their best Bud's "deposits."
>>
>>
>>
>> Dorri Olds I work with my muse, Buddy James, at my feet. From A.M. till
>> P.M.
>> I write and design, or think..
>>
>>
>>
>> Filed Under: Etiquette, Training&  Behavior
>>
>>
>>
>> Tags: Dogs, cleaning, Dog Poop Pickup, poop, responsibility, responsible
>> dog
>> owners
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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