# are disabled people exempt from scooping the poop?



## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

pet ,not assistance dogs.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm not!


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

no its one rule for all! else what's the point?


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

Who is exempt from being prosecuted for allowing their dog to foul a public place?

There are a number of exemptions to the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, including: a blind person in charge of a dog that is being used for that persons guidance; a person in charge of a working dog being used for the tending or driving of sheep or cattle; the armed forces, customs and excise or the police force are also exempt but only when the dogs are working; and some disabled persons There is no specific exemption for partially sighted people, the elderly or the infirm.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

I went walking with friends once and saw somebody in the woods leave poop in the trail, I hopped over and asked them why they hadn't picked it up, she said "ohh I can't, I have arthritis in the back and legs, it hurts to bend down" well you walked 2 miles to get this deep into the forest well enough didn't you? :lol2:


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

:lol2:
All the literature I could find did not state what disabilities were exempt you would probably need to contact your local council for thorough details. The infirm (arthritis) would not be exempt however...plus it sounds like she was taking the Mick!


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*scooping the poop*

I've never thought about it before.However I have seen the same wheelchair bound person not scooping in the local park twice this week.He remains in the carpark and the dog pootles off and does its business on the nicely maintained lawn area.I've thought about this scenario a fair bit.My conclusion about this inividual is, whether he can or can't scoop he could make the effort to contain the dog in the scrubby area around the carpark until it had done its bit.We are lucky in our park in that we have very few dog restrictions.It only takes a selfish minority to spoil it for us all.Don't know whether to say anything or not.


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## Mrs dirtydozen (Sep 5, 2008)

LoveForLizards said:


> I went walking with friends once and saw somebody in the woods leave poop in the trail, I hopped over and asked them why they hadn't picked it up, she said "ohh I can't, I have arthritis in the back and legs, it hurts to bend down" well you walked 2 miles to get this deep into the forest well enough didn't you? :lol2:


:lol2: thats a good um


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

Surely if he personally can't clean it he must have someone that can help him out. Even a fellow dog walker..?
I have a real problem with fouling. Where I live no one bothers their...backsides...I can't let my little girl walk down the street most days.
Honestly, there is a park right at the main road where I live and the scum around here will walk their staffys along the pavement rather than take them into the park. It's horrible.


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

You can get long reach poop scoops, so being unable to bend is not really a good enough excuse.


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

To be fair if you can't bend down to look after your dog and have no one else to help you should you be keeping that dog? If you were walking it publicly and are in such a condition you can't bend down to pick up poop what would happen if the dog got in a fight with another dog, or ran away..?
I can't think of many good excuses either.


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## purpleskyes (Oct 15, 2007)

Not really related to the actual topic but I have always wondered about this:blush:

Blind people with guide dogs who cleans up after the dog at home??


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## daysleeper1985 (Sep 3, 2008)

She's completely taking the piss! :bash:


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## daysleeper1985 (Sep 3, 2008)

Guide dogs are very well trained, I know someone whose guide dogs goes in exactly the same place every time, which just so happens to be a plastic bag lined wooden box so it's very easy to deal with.


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## daysleeper1985 (Sep 3, 2008)

angela__k__84 said:


> To be fair if you can't bend down to look after your dog and have no one else to help you should you be keeping that dog? If you were walking it publicly and are in such a condition you can't bend down to pick up poop what would happen if the dog got in a fight with another dog, or ran away..?
> I can't think of many good excuses either.


I do tend to agree, I'm partially sighted so I would never consider it fair to keep a dog!


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

Guide dogs are trained not to do stuff like that in the house.
I know a lot of people with disabilities cope in amazing ways. My MIL lost the use of her dominant hand in an industrial accident and sometimes she copes better than I do with two but if you can't even pick up your dogs poop there must be loads of other things you can't do/wouldn't be able to do if the situation arose. If you are fit enough to look after your dog in the home, and take it out walking in a public place you should be able to tidy up after them. It's common courtesy.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Evie said:


> You can get long reach poop scoops, so being unable to bend is not really a good enough excuse.


Just what I thought - surely even someone in a wheelchair could buy one of these and use it???


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

LoveForLizards said:


> I went walking with friends once and saw somebody in the woods leave poop in the trail, I hopped over and asked them why they hadn't picked it up, she said "ohh I can't, I have arthritis in the back and legs, it hurts to bend down" well you walked 2 miles to get this deep into the forest well enough didn't you? :lol2:


I might be wrong here but _I think_ that woodland and common land is exempt from the poop scoop laws but it's always work checking the local bylaws. some of the rules vary depending on the local authority.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

To be fair, as someone else has said, if they were severely disabled, it's unlikely they would be walking the dog.

Said with no prejudice as a disabled lady who'd love to be able to walk far enough (without experiencing severe pain) to walk the dog!


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Evie said:


> You can get long reach poop scoops, so being unable to bend is not really a good enough excuse.


I see an 80s something lady walking her dog who uses one of these as she can't bend down so definitely someone in a wheelchair could use one easily enough so I don't see why there should be any exemptions for disabilities except for the blind, as obviously if you're well enough to get out to the park with your dog alone you should be well enough to operate a long scooper that requires very little physical effort.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

Only thing is they dont make them in "whopping dog poo" sizes. So you're there for half an hour doing it in bits


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

Athravan said:


> I see an 80s something lady walking her dog who uses one of these as she can't bend down so definitely someone in a wheelchair could use one easily enough so I don't see why there should be any exemptions for disabilities except for the blind, as obviously if you're well enough to get out to the park with your dog alone you should be well enough to operate a long scooper that requires very little physical effort.


That's probably why the wording of the legislation is so vague, there are so many different disabilities and I'm pretty sure that the majority of people could manage, but I dare say there are a few that have a ligitimate reason - for example, the dog could wander into a place where a wheelchair user couldnt get to.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*scooping poop.*

On the last point,I personally wouldn't expect someone severly incapacitated to go off roading in their chair over rough terrain to collect poop.It's more the popular accessable areas where families picnic and children and adults play football etc.My small child days are over so I personally am not affected by that aspect,every sympathy for those who are.I'm interested in the trouble and restrictions it brings on dog walkers generally.Taking your dogs on holiday for instance has been ruined by people allowing their dogs to foul beaches,bringing heavy restrictions in some/many instances


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

I don't understand why, if you _can't_ clean after your dog, that you would take it to a lovely public area.
Even people in flats have some grass and back garden - why not let your dog toilet there then the council could clean it (since they would be exempt from being fined)
Or walk your dog on some spare ground. Disabled or not letting your animal crap all over a public picnic area that small children might use is just plain selfish. There are other choices.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

you folks actually pick up doggy doo?


... i'd have a herd of good old boys a'laughing... then they'd go home and tell their wives... then the kids... then the neighbors...

... we use pooper scoopers here... 













they have their place


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## HS (Mar 19, 2008)

There is an elderly disabled man who uses a motorised wheelchair local to me who takes his dog everywhere, he always picks up after the dog and has never been a problem. However, the Local Council, in an attempt to stop people riding motorbikes in the park, placed an 'anti-bike' barrier across the entrance to the bridge into the park. This has stopped the disabled man walking his dog in the park, unless he drives round to the other side of the park (probably about a mile on public roads) where no such obstruction exists on the other two entrances to the park, thus rendering the first barrier useless.:bash: Not that anybody tries to ride motorbikes in the park.
However, this chap has been accused of not clearing up, and has even written an article in the local rag explaining that it is not his dog that is doing the fouling that is not cleaned up.
I live opposite the park and have touble with able bodied people letting there dog dump wherever they like (including my front lawn) and not bothering to clear up. 

On another note, one would have thought that if a dog walker saw that somebody may have trouble clearing up after their dog, due to a disability, they would offer to help, after all, aren't they meant to all be dog lovers.:whistling2:


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

HS said:


> On another note, one would have thought that if a dog walker saw that somebody may have trouble clearing up after their dog, due to a disability, they would offer to help, after all, aren't they meant to all be dog lovers.:whistling2:


Quite right. I would like to think that as a society, we can show some compassion for someone having difficulty. All well and good to say they shouldn't have a dog etc. But that dog could well be the only companion/outside contact of a lonely person, and I certainly wouldnt begrudge them their furry friend just because of a bit of poop,as long as it isn't anywhere near a kids play area.


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## butterfingersbimbo (Jan 26, 2008)

Evie said:


> Quite right. *I would like to think that as a society, we can show some compassion for someone having difficulty. All well and good to say they shouldn't have a dog etc. But that dog could well be the only companion/outside contact of a lonely person, and I certainly wouldnt begrudge them their furry friend just because of a bit of poop,as long as it isn't anywhere near a kids play area.*


Do you know what, I agree with you entirely :notworthy: 

I always clean up after my dog, and have cleaned up after other dogs too when it's on the path or if Bean poo's next to a bit that's already there on the grass.


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

Evie said:


> Quite right. I would like to think that as a society, we can show some compassion for someone having difficulty. All well and good to say they shouldn't have a dog etc. But that dog could well be the only companion/outside contact of a lonely person, and I certainly wouldnt begrudge them their furry friend just because of a bit of poop,as long as it isn't anywhere near a kids play area.


I agree wholeheartedly. 

Saying that, personally I find it isn't those that may have a valid excuse for not picking up (either disability or injury) it is lazy sods who can't be bothered to pick up even though there are perfectly capable of doing so.


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Just to add my two pence worth.

I also hate dog fouling! horrible lumps of scum attracting flies and slugs, and when your out walking at night, you can't tell if you stepping on leaves or a doggy nugget! :censor:

But y'know what also riles me?

someone who picks the poo up, and then flings the bag into the bushes :bash:

Where i used to live there was an alley along the back of the houses for garage access, its also a place many dog walkers go a day, but when you go down there, theres lumps of poo all along the road and in front of peoples garage doors, and then all these plastic bags hanging tethered in the bushes and trees, leaking doggy doo doo, its an absolute disgrace :censor:

Even if you did help someone who "claimed" to be disabled, to pick up their poo and hand them the bag, whos to say they aren't going to walk round the next corner and sling it!

Its not on, and not fair to people who seriously aren't able, if i could be sure that anyone i helped with this matter was genuine then by all means i would, but i'm not sure i want to help anyone not knowing if they're just taking me for a fool!


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

sarahc said:


> pet ,not assistance dogs.


of course not.


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