Last summer, my eight-year-old daughter, Lily, stumbled upon some dog waste in our yard. When she informed me, I rushed to grab a shovel, only to find my five-year-old, Mia, had already gotten her hands on the mess and smeared it on her sister. I assure you, this was not a lesson I taught; Mia acted entirely on her own.
As you can imagine, Lily bolted inside in tears, with Mia hot on her heels, while I trailed behind holding a shovel, bewildered by the chaos that had unfolded in mere moments. The situation quickly escalated when Mia turned to me, her hands covered in poop, and as I dropped the shovel to prevent her from touching me, she stumbled and scraped her knee.
At that moment, I had a choice: I could either ignore my injured daughter or pick her up and comfort her, while probably getting some of that foul mess on myself. It’s worth mentioning that we didn’t even have a dog at the time. A reckless individual had allowed their dog to leave a steaming pile in my yard the day before when I was at work, and then they walked away without a second thought.
Let me be clear: I wouldn’t have been in this predicament if it weren’t for someone so inconsiderate that they couldn’t bother to clean up after their pet. Every person who has stepped in a pile of dog waste at a park, only to find a nearby supply of bags and a trash can, despises you. Anyone who has discovered a surprise in their flowerbed or received an unpleasant shower while biking knows the frustration caused by irresponsible dog owners.
I understand accidents happen; I have three kids myself. But if you’re caught without a bag when your dog has an emergency, just go home and grab one. It’s really that simple. Better yet, keep a bag attached to the leash.
If you choose to ignore this responsibility, you’re being selfish. Period. Consider this: my sweet daughter, Lily, was crying in the bathroom as she scrubbed dog poop off her arm. Did you ever stop to think that your laziness could lead to such a situation? Clearly, you did not, as your actions display a lack of foresight.
Thanks to you, I was left with the unpleasant choice of comforting my daughter while trying to avoid the stench of dog waste. Honestly, is there a type of waste more unpleasant than dog poop? I highly doubt it.
Picking up my crying daughter, who had poop-covered hands, felt akin to accepting a request that was truly repugnant. For a moment, I questioned whether I was cut out for this parenting journey. And all of this turmoil stemmed from your negligence.
However, I cleaned her up, tending to her scraped knee as she cried and I internally struggled to contain my frustration. I held her close, trying to avoid getting any mess on me, but I failed. No one recognized my efforts, but I know I did the right thing by cleaning up your mess.
You’re welcome, irresponsible dog owner.
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In summary, it’s essential to take responsibility for your dog’s waste to avoid messy and upsetting situations for others.