grooming your dog in the park and leaving the hair behind?!

jackieb

I don't own a dog and I hate it when owners don't pick up poo, but I wouldn't have a problem with dog hair out in the open. I'd just think it would be good for the birds and their nests.

puddy

whats the problem with it?

it is used for bedding and even if it just blew away in the wind, its the same as other, non toxic and non harmful natural products like leaves, bird feathers etc.

would you complain when you saw bits of sheep wool stuck in their fences on a country walk??

crazy

lostinrates

I saw this for the first time on moving to this area. I was quite surprised but not offended....its not harmful, BUT it is pretty messy sometimes up where we walk, it looks like they have had five dozen strong grooming competition, and I have to say its not nice when there is so much and its windy and flying about in your face and stuff....but I still feel its better than lots of other things that you could find and the park, and my dogs love it...sticking their noses in various piles of dogs' hair.

rising_from_the_ashes

I brush pooch in the garden and leave the (masses) of hair for the birds.

I don't really object if people do it in public places - but I would agree a gateway doesn't seem to be the best place to do it......

VoucherMan

I collect all the hair from brushing the cats. In the spring put it out for the birds. I doubt dogs hair is that different.

krlyr

I'm a dog owner and I wouldn't dream of leaving my dogs' fur in the park personally. I brush them indoors mostly but even if I brush them outside I generally clean it up. I've tried leaving it out before and find that when it rains, the fur clumps together, the birds don't take it and it collects along a wall or in a corner looking disgusting.
Yes, it's natural and wild animals can make use of it but you could say the same for food - but you'd probably get annoyed seeing someone walk around the park dropping handfuls of food across the entrance. Would dumping old wood by the side of the road count as flytipping or "building a bug hotel"? Next time I mow my lawn, should I dump it in the park because it's going to rot down anyway..infact, might as well take my food recycling caddy down there and start a compost heap!
If you want to help nature then fine, but do it in your own garden or in areas specifically put aside for things like that. Invest in one of those peanut feeders with the mesh and stuff the hair in there for the birds to remove rather than leaving it loose in the hope something might collect it. A park is not just for dog owners - someone with an allergy to dog fur, for example, has the right to enjoy a picnic in the park without heaps of dog fur blowing into their face/lunch.
I know the odd bit of fur is unavoidable, especially with certain breeds, but purposely leaving piles of fur behind IS littering IMO. As dog owners, we need to do our bit for doggy PR and I think keeping public places clean for non-dog owners to enjoy is part of our responsibility. More and more restrictions are being put on where dogs are allowed and although a lot of it is unfair restrictions by OTT councils, it doesn't help the case to purposely do things like this in the places we are fortunately allowed to use (for now).

puddy wrote: »

whats the problem with it?

it is used for bedding and even if it just blew away in the wind, its the same as other, non toxic and non harmful natural products like leaves, bird feathers etc.

would you complain when you saw bits of sheep wool stuck in their fences on a country walk??

crazy

That's a bit like saying why clean up dog poo when there's other natural products like fox poo, bird poo, rabbit poo etc. around though. And sheep are usually in private fields (presumably with a public foothpath running through it) - I'd probably complain at sheep poo left in a public park!

Person_one

krlyr wrote: »

That's a bit like saying why clean up dog poo when there's other natural products like fox poo, bird poo, rabbit poo etc. around though.

Actually, that's a good question. I do in fact question how sensible it is to take a natural biodegradable product that will be gone in a few days, then wrap it in plastic so it can live for thousands of years in landfill. I pick up dog poo if its on a path, somewhere it might be trod in or if there are signs up, but if its in undergrowth off the beaten track I just cover it with a bit of earth and leave it there.

Hair? Really really not worth worrying about!

Alizarin

krlyr wrote: »

That's a bit like saying why clean up dog poo when there's other natural products like fox poo, bird poo, rabbit poo etc. around though.

In my opinion, dog poo doesn't need picking up if it's in the undergrowth and not around where people are going to be walking (that's where you'll find most of the wild animal poo anyway!) But obviously it needs picking up from footpaths etc as it's nasty trying to get it off your shoes and you wouldn't want children stepping it in.

But dog fur? Where's the harm in that? It's not smelly, yucky or unhygenic and doesn't cause anyone any harm. My parents have two fluffy sheltie who are constantly moulting, and every year thay find old bird nests in the garden lined with sheltie fur

puddy

Person_one wrote: »

Actually, that's a good question. I do in fact question how sensible it is to take a natural biodegradable product that will be gone in a few days, then wrap it in plastic so it can live for thousands of years in landfill. I pick up dog poo if its on a path, somewhere it might be trod in or if there are signs up, but if its in undergrowth off the beaten track I just cover it with a bit of earth and leave it there.

Hair? Really really not worth worrying about!

i was about to say this, this practice has caused a great deal of landfill, when in the old days it was flicked into the undergrowth or gutter with a stick

Person_one

puddy wrote: »

i was about to say this, this practice has caused a great deal of landfill, when in the old days it was flicked into the undergrowth or gutter with a stick

I don't do the stick method, because you never know if someone else is going to pick the stick up after you and get the wrong end, or throw it for their dog!