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Dog poo - too much of it in Munich

Help make the city take action - sign our petition

Toytown Germany > Discussion forum > South Germany > Munich > Munich family life

2kids!

Jul 10 2006, 11:10 am

I know you make think I'm crazy, but I'm sure that it's a problem you've noticed, too! There's too much dog poo in Munich and it's everywhere - on the grass next to the street when you park the car, at the playgroup, at the park and down the street on the sidewalk.

A group of parents has started an initiative to ask the city to promote awareness of pertinent laws (you must clean up after your dog), provide a better infrastructure (more bag dispensers and garbage cans) and take action against offenders (fine them).

We would be interested to know what you think about the problem and also to have your support - please take time to sign our petition and ask your friends and family to sign it, too!

Questions? Visit our website at www.hundehaufen-muenchen.de

Thanks for your feedback and support!

Gen

Jul 10 2006, 11:37 am

"Unterschreiben kann in den Listen jeder zu Kommunalwahlen berechtigte Münchner Bürger" -- I think that's EU citizens only. Anyone care to confirm?

tom_a

Jul 10 2006, 11:59 am

Yes, that's the way it is:
http://www.wahlrecht.de/kommunal/bayern.html

Btw, is there really so much dog poo in Munich? I hardly ever notice any...

don_riina

Jul 10 2006, 12:05 pm

There is alot of dog poo in some parts of Munich, but alot of people train their dogs to crap in the gutter at least. Kiddies playgrounds are off-limits to dogs too.
Are there actually any bins in Munich for doggie-doos though? I've never seen any, and being perfectly honest (albeit rather cynical) I reckon you'd get fined for putting your dog shit in the "wrong" bin..

Carm

Jul 10 2006, 12:11 pm

QUOTE (tom_a @ Jul 10 2006, 12:59 pm)

Btw, is there really so much dog poo in Munich? I hardly ever notice any...

you betcha there is... some As*hole let their dog shit in the gravel where the telekom guys are laying new cable under the sidewalk. That is just rude!

Jul 10 2006, 12:19 pm

@2Kids!

As a dog owner, more garbage cans would be very helpful. Yes, I know they are nice little places to put bombs and whatnot. And yes, I try to get her to go by our house so I can make the deposit in our garbage cans. However, I can’t always guarantee when and where the pooping will take place. Although I have a nice little system (I have a nylon bag that attaches on to my leash with two pockets – one side for empty bags, the other side for the full ones), I still don’t like carrying it around with me.

And if you guys could do something about the broken glass too – that would be great!

Verbatim

Jul 10 2006, 12:21 pm

QUOTE (Cookie @ Jul 10 2006, 1:19 pm)

And if you guys could do something about the broken glass too – that would be great!

Why should it be "you guys", why don't you get involved?

don_riina

Jul 10 2006, 12:21 pm

QUOTE (2kids! @ Jul 10 2006, 12:10 pm)

A group of parents has started an initiative to ask the city to promote awareness of pertinent laws (you must clean up after your dog), provide a better infrastructure (more bag dispensers and garbage cans) and take action against offenders (fine them).

If "the city" has any responsibility atall, it certainly ain't to spend tax money on such stuff as "promoting awareness" (hate that phrase) of anything.
Just make dog owners PAY for training - for them not the dogs. If you buy a dog, its your responsibility to actually walk it somewhere other than the streets of Schwabing. Simple. Fines are, well, fine - but a dog only shits outside because its learnt to do so. Hardly a mammoth leap in logic to let the dog learn to shit in the woods. Dogs learn well fast - mine is getting really good at pissing on the windows of every single choccamoccapoofdrink coffee hellhole in Munich for example, but has never squeezed one out on the floor in The Arc.

MonksTown

Jul 10 2006, 12:25 pm

Yes Gen.
It is a petition to the City of Munich that might result in a public refereundum.
ONLY EU citizens who live in the City of Munich may sign.

This petition which is already doing the rounds of our street.

I'm luvin "choccamoccapoofdrink coffee hellhole" DonR !

I always used to say Munich was better than the UK in that there was no broken glass and dg shit everywhere. Right now, GBV is one huge canine bog.

acockreland2balls

Jul 10 2006, 12:25 pm

i have already signed a petition in my local Sendling 'hood about this ...it was really a neighbourhood initiative started by the dude in the cycle shop.

i think this year was particularly bad because once the snow had melted ...the turds appeared en masse ...

don_riina

Jul 10 2006, 12:28 pm

QUOTE (MonksTown @ Jul 10 2006, 1:25 pm)

It is a petition to the City of Munich that might result in a public refereundum.

Sounds expensive to me.

Jul 10 2006, 12:30 pm

QUOTE (Verbatim @ Jul 10 2006, 1:21 pm)

Why should it be "you guys", why don't you get involved?

Um, it was a joke, ok.

MonksTown

Jul 10 2006, 12:33 pm

Yes, referenda can be expensive to run, so there has to be some genuine demand of at least X thousand voters signatures, anyd yes, the KVR do check they are valid.

The petition is so worded that a referendum isn't 100% needed.
Either the city can accept that it has to do something on the dog shit issue or face a referendum that would FORCE them to do.

Dogs are the latest fashion accesory round my way and i haven't been bale to walk to the U Bahn round the corner ithout passing at least 2 - 3 heaps of dog shit for years.

Jul 10 2006, 12:34 pm

QUOTE (don_riina @ Jul 10 2006, 1:21 pm)

If you buy a dog, its your responsibility to actually walk it somewhere other than the streets of Schwabing.

So the people who live in Schwabing shouldn't have dogs?

Eleanor Rigby

Jul 10 2006, 12:35 pm

Can owners get fined for not cleaning up after their pets?

don_riina

Jul 10 2006, 12:37 pm

QUOTE (Cookie @ Jul 10 2006, 1:34 pm)

So the people who live in Schwabing shouldn't have dogs?

Quite frankly my dear, aside from the fact that Schwabing is my general euphanism for Munich, becuase its as far into town as I am willing to travel, I think that 90% of dog owners should not have dogs regardless of where they live. Espeically the stupid bint who lives near me. She should not even be permitted to walk without the use of crutches, let alone own a hound.

MonksTown

Jul 10 2006, 12:53 pm

Schwabing is in Munich?
Everythin north of Odeonsplatz is Preussen!

Frankly speaking I do doubt whether people should be keeping dogs in inner city areas at all unles they are prepared to scopp after their dog, which so far 90% of owners don't.

Sin

Jul 10 2006, 12:54 pm

Can't we just shoot the pesky little varmits?

Oh yeah, and quarantine their pooches.

But seriously. I'd like dog owners who allow their mutts to crap everywhere to be ceremoniously dipped in dogshit on a specially constructed device in the Viktualienmarkt every Saturday morning.

canaryman

Jul 10 2006, 12:55 pm

Every dog owner residing in Germany has to pay an annual tax for their dog. The Government has stipulated that the reason for this tax is that the regional councils have to pay to clear up any dog poo that is lying around.

Any campaign should be directed at the owners being more responsible as to where they let their dogs poo and at the councils that receive the annual tax in order to pay for the clear up costs. (If it is not cleared up, why do they receive the tax monies and in what other area do they spend the money?)

Carm

Jul 10 2006, 12:55 pm

I agree with MonksTown, if the owners clean up afterwards then no problem, but they don't, so that is the problem. I live in an area with lots green space, and playgrounds, there are signs saying, This is not Hunde Klo, people still let their dogs shit on the sidewalks and pathways.

gemini

Jul 10 2006, 1:52 pm

QUOTE (Eleanor Rigby @ Jul 10 2006, 1:35 pm)

Can owners get fined for not cleaning up after their pets?

Of course they can...and they should. But like getting smoke free areas, this is one of those explosive issues.

In NYC we had the same problem. Couldn't walk anywhere without dodging landmines. Then came the pooper-scooper laws and the threat of fines, and the owners finally started taking respinsibity.

It isn't just the poop in obvious plain site and occassionally on your shoe, but the poop vastly increases the number of flies and the odors on a hot summer day.

mere

Jul 10 2006, 3:17 pm

there are some dog owners who do clean up after their mutts. Cookie does. The woman i work for does and i do. If i'm in the woods (yes, there's a sign saying to clean up and i ignore it) and my dog goes 5 or 10 meters into the trees off the path then i leave it or if he's in some random field where people don't go anyway. if it's along a sidewalk or something i clean it up and he won't go to the bathroom unless it's in the woods or on grass. he won't random crap in the middle of streets, sidewalks, etc. yes, there has been a time or two when i haven't becuase i didn't have a bag with me.

don_riina

Jul 10 2006, 3:27 pm

QUOTE (canaryman @ Jul 10 2006, 1:55 pm)

Don't you pay more tax for a so called "battledog" though? I doubt they shit proportionately more.

QUOTE (gemini @ Jul 10 2006, 2:52 pm)

Of course they can...and they should. But like getting smoke free areas, this is one of those explosive issues.

AAAAAHHHHHH!!! ENOUGH!!

QUOTE (gemini @ Jul 10 2006, 2:52 pm)

the poop vastly increases the number of flies and the odors on a hot summer day

Flies in summer, jeeeesus! Word of advice,. take up smoking, they stay away.

Xpet

Jul 10 2006, 3:40 pm

We have two labrador retrievers and of course we scoop our poop, which can be of considerable size ... ;-)

Coming back to Germany after many years in Asia (where scooping is the standard and some people even carry water bottles to rinse the spot ...), we were shocked at the amount of dog poo lying around everywhere. We also have two kids and it just amazes me no end how otherwise responsible and seemingly clear-headed people can let their dogs do their business anywhere near where kids play, people take walks etc. (we're not in the city), it's inconceivable ...

I asked a neighbour to pls. clean up his dog's poo from just in front of our house and he asked me "Why?"

Ms. Dorthy

Nov 10 2006, 12:21 pm

I just heard that the fine can be up to 500€ for not picking up your doggies poo. Does anyone know if this is true? I must admit I don't always pick my dog's up cause he generally goes in a bush.

I live right in the middle of Luitpold and Olympiaparks and recently the cops have been out checking people for there dog licenses. A couple of people in my neighborhood got a fine for not having a current one and for letting their dog off the leash. Plus the park warden at Luitpold has been giving out warnings to people for letting their dogs poo in the grass at all, even if they scoop, cause of the no dog signs!

Would think they would be more worried about the broken glass and the cigarette buds that are everywhere. That hangs around alot longer then poo, doesn't it?

MonksTown

Nov 10 2006, 12:25 pm

QUOTE (Ms. Dorthy @ Nov 10 2006, 12:21 pm)

Would think they would be more worried about the broken glass and the cigarette buds that are everywhere. That hangs around alot longer then poo, doesn't it?

Doesn't casue child blindness though innit.

Ms. Dorthy

Nov 10 2006, 12:37 pm

Are you serious? Dog poo causes blindness? Never heard that one! Pardon my stupidty but are there any reported cases or is it just a another health risk we should all be paranoid of?

"was just thinking about all the times, as kids, my brothers hurled dog terds at me"

Kay

Nov 10 2006, 2:02 pm

QUOTE (Ms. Dorthy @ Nov 10 2006, 12:21 pm)

Would think they would be more worried about the broken glass and the cigarette buds that are everywhere.

They're probably waiting to get free cigarettes once they bloom.

Eleanor Rigby

Nov 10 2006, 2:05 pm

As much as I may hate to step in broken glass I would still prefer it to stepping in dog shit.

If you have a dog, it's your responsibility to pick up after it. Period.

If they are indeed giving out fines for this then I fully support it.

andrea

Nov 10 2006, 2:09 pm

QUOTE (Ms. Dorthy @ Nov 10 2006, 11:37 am)

Are you serious? Dog poo causes blindness?

QUOTE (healthpassword.com)

Toxocariasis is an infestation of humans, usually children, with the larvae of Toxocara canis, a small threadlike worm that resides in a dog's intestine.

A dog harbouring the small round worm causes large numbers of worm eggs in its faeces, which can then contaminate the soil.

Children who then play with an infested dog or with soil contaminated with its faeces can then inadvertently put their fingers in their mouths and can swallow some of the worm eggs. The swallowed eggs hatch in the intestine of the child to liberate larvae, which then travel towards the liver, lungs, brain and eyes. Here they can trigger off allergic reactions such as asthma, and they also have more serious affects such as loss of vision at least partially.

In a report by Dr S. Gillespie, (November 1993), he noted approximately 100 cases diagnosed each year, with 50 having serious eye damage. Nearly all were children, who had contracted the disease as toddlers.

Can't find anything later than that, but presume the figures are higher now.

arshoo

Nov 10 2006, 2:18 pm

funny we have an old saying in hindi, that dog poo is totally useless, cant use it for manure and it causes diseases! guess the old ones must have known something!

Nathan

Nov 10 2006, 3:41 pm

I think the solution is to roll up a new paper, push their nose in the steaming pile of dog poo and paddle them on the ass with the newspaper...

The dog owners that is

Scogs

Nov 10 2006, 4:04 pm

if you think Munich is bad you should take a weekend off and go to Paris, you have to spend more time looking down at the pavements so you don't stand in the stuff than watching where you are going

gills

Nov 10 2006, 6:09 pm

QUOTE (canaryman @ Jul 10 2006, 1:55 pm)

The Government has stipulated that the reason for this tax is that the regional councils have to pay to clear up any dog poo that is lying around.

If that's true, there's the explanation for why locals don't pick up after their pooches. I'm certain they have the mind-set that if they are forced to pay for someone else to do it, why should they?

I'm not saying I agree, mind you. I'm saying that the explanation is contributing to the problem in a big way. It certainly needs to be re-framed, and the public re-educated.

I've always been a good doobie pooper scooper, but when I moved to Munich I slacked off for a while. No one else was doing it, so it seemed pointless. Never fear, I am back to my old responsible ways, not least because my old pooch can't make it much past the front door.

Having said that, I personally don't find it to be that big a problem in Munich. I've seen much worse. Ever been to Montreal on a spring day? Ugh.

Saint

Nov 10 2006, 6:15 pm

Of all places to complain about dog poo (or filth in general) Munich is like eden compared to other places!

Come to Paris, you have dodge dog shit every five feet on the side walks here. The Parisians hold doors for each other and say, "please" and "thank you" but just don't think it should matter to you to step in their dog's shit.

They even have this "if you step in it with your left foot it's good luck"... well I don't know what kind of shoes they wear but I have never conceived of dog poop on my Jimmy Choo stilettos as being good-luck.

Yandi

Nov 10 2006, 9:15 pm

QUOTE (Eleanor Rigby @ Jul 10 2006, 1:35 pm)

Can owners get fined for not cleaning up after their pets?

QUOTE (gemini @ Jul 10 2006, 2:52 pm)

Of course they can...and they should.

Gawd! We asked our agent when we did our walk through if we had to clean it up, she said "No, of course not!" so I haven't been doing it I have no problem cleaning up the poo, that's one of the reasons I got a small dog

QUOTE (Ms. Dorthy @ Nov 10 2006, 1:21 pm)

...recently the cops have been out checking people for there dog licenses. A couple of people in my neighborhood got a fine for not having a current one and for letting their dog off the leash. Plus the park warden at Luitpold has been giving out warnings to people for letting their dogs poo in the grass at all, even if they scoop, cause of the no dog signs!

Can I get some clarification here? I see a lot of dogs off the leash - are they only allowed off the leash if their tags are current? Where can I get tags for my dog?

Also, where are the signs posted? I live near Leopold Park, where my neighbor and I both drain our dogs every morning (without leashes or poopie bags), I've not seen one sign. Actually, I don't think I've seen any 'no dog' signs at any green area (except for playgrounds).

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