The title of this post is unashamedly taken from an article in the journal Environmental Sociology.
Photo by Matthias Gross
This article is a study, primarily focused on European nations, and the patterns of owners who do/do not clean up after their dog poops.
The author observed that people are more likely to clean up after their dog when there are people around to watch.
I’ll let you read it for yourself…
The study’s (published) conclusion is:
This exploratory study thus suggests that observing activities and strategies of defecating may provide new insight into human–animal relationships by exploring the role of droppings. An important prerequisite for successfully displaying poop and for diverting attention away from the fact that dog poop is increasingly to be seen in public is that the actors involved are skillful enough to attest to nonknowledge about the production of excrements by their best friends.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
Other blog posts about dog poop include:
DoggyMom.com 