Warning: Graphic (Canine) Content

So this post will probably be classifiable as a rant, but that's okay.  Here's the thing...I am a HUGE animal lover.  I only have a dog right now, but over the years I have owned everything from cats and dogs to rabbits, birds, horses, fish, hamsters, and even a wild duck we helped rehab once.  Allergies developed through the years though so I prefer dogs these days.  But this post is not about my previous pet ownership or my allergies...

No, this post is about the rude, inconsiderate, obnoxious, etc. people that allow their dogs to defecate in their neighbors' yards and don't clean it up.  I don't even let MY OWN dog go in MY OWN yard without picking up after it...for several reasons.  Aside from the aesthetic look I'm going for, I also know that there are kids that run around barefoot in my neighborhood and looking out for dog poop shouldn't be something they have to do.  For a bit of cuteness before what's to come, here is a picture of my dog...she likes to control the remote. :)

Every pet owner should consider several things before getting their new best friend.  I know that when I selected Oreo, I chose her for several reasons (aside from her uber cute-ness).  First, I wanted a dog that wouldn't shed.  Check.  Second, I wanted a cute dog that wouldn't shed.  Check.  Finally, I wanted a small dog because we all know that small dogs = small messes.  Check.

There have been several occasions since moving into my house a year and a half ago that I have found the "leftovers" from other dogs in my yard.  And while it is always an annoyance, they were usually at least small annoyances.  Today was another matter entirely...

I was running a little late this morning (perhaps the result of Cinco de Mayo) and when I was taking Oreo for her second walk before I left for work, I couldn't help but notice that there was a new addition to my lawn since our first walk about an hour earlier.  The reason I couldn't help but notice?  Oh, that would be because the excrement soiling my lawn was literally baby elephant-sized (Oh, dear God, how I wish that were an exaggeration)!  Seriously.  The poop was about 1/2 as big as Oreo's entire body.  So gross!!!

At this point, I had two choices.  (1) I could leave it there and wait for weeks of rain and sprinklers and lawn care to slowly get rid of it (likely while allowing the grass to die beneath it because there's no way anything was penetrating that crap) or (2) I could clean it up (I'm gagging just thinking about it now).  I chose option #2 and again, I wish I was exaggerating when I say that after getting my thickest, most durable plastic bag from the house it took me BOTH hands to pick up the ginormous poop while suppressing my gag reflex.

WTF?!?  First of all, I'm actually mildly concerned about whoever's dog left such filth on my lawn because that's simply NOT natural.  I can't even imagine how large the dog must have been to have done that.  Does someone in the neighborhood have Clifford the Big Red Dog as their pet for real?  And second, if your dog does leave those things around, clean that shit up.  Seriously.  What's wrong with people?!?

Fin de rant