A woman has defended putting dog poo in her neighbours’ bin, having got into an argument with her boyfriend over the matter.
There’s a special place in hell for those who fail to pick up their dog’s poo while out and about, leaving it for us to dodge – that's if we’re lucky enough to spot it, of course.
But what about people who do pick it up, before proceeding to put it in a stranger’s bin? Is that just as bad?
The debate came up on Reddit after one woman admitted she’s been ‘in a bit of a disagreement’ with her boyfriend after he saw her doing just that.
In the ‘Am I the A**hole’ subreddit, she explained: “I moved in with him and his dog Maddie about a month ago. Due to our different work hours I walk the dog in the morning and he walks the dog in the evening.
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“Weekends have mainly been him. I really enjoy this as Maddie is great and the walk helps me be more ready to take on the day.
“When I first moved in for a bit we'd walk the dogs together so she could get used to me walking her. This was nice as my experience with dogs isn't huge. While Maddie and I were cool, I never had really done any of the ‘taking care of her’ as she wasn't my dog.
“Usually she runs around in the backyard first where she does her business. If not she'll do it on the walk.
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“None of those times did she poo on the walk. Walks with just me in the morning sometimes she'd poo and I'd put it in a doggy bag and then put it in a garbage can before continuing.”
The Reddit user said ‘everything was going well’ until one day her boyfriend joined her on the walk as he didn’t have to work.
“I went to throw away the poop,” she continued.
“As soon as I got to the can my BF stopped me and told me I can't throw it in someone else's can and we have to carry it the entire walk until we're back home. He then took it and said he'd carry it.
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“I said that a trash can was meant for trash, but boyfriend was adamant because it wasn't ‘our’ trash can.
“As such we had to walk the rest carrying poop and it was a bit tense. I told my boyfriend that I wasn't going to hold on to dog poop when there was a perfectly good garbage can and he said I was being rude by doing that and he was going to walk Maddie himself going forward.”
Her boyfriend said he worried about the neighbours ‘getting mad’, but the woman felt he was ‘overreacting’.
"Yes it is his dog so ultimately what he says goes, but it still hurts,” she added.
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“It isn't like people would get mad at him as we do the walks separately usually.”
The Redditor said she understood the ‘not our garbage can’ argument, but argued the bins were ‘only in the alley’, and that none of them had a particularly bad smell.
“If any of that were different I'd more understand my BF POV but I feel that all this makes it okay to throw it away in the trash,” she said.
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“I'd rather not carry a bag of dog poo with me when it seems unnecessary. AITA?”
Many people agreed that the woman was in the wrong, with one person commenting: “That’s a big no-no. It’s disrespectful to open other people’s trash cans let alone throw poop in there.”
Another said: “YTA. All it takes is one ripped poop bag and you've created a really smelly problem for someone else to deal with (been there). And even that is ignoring the fact that some people in this world are dangerously territorial about their stuff.”
A third wrote: “I'd rather not carry dog poop with me either, but unless someone gives me permission to use their garbage, that's what I do. Because it's rude to leave poop in someone else's garbage. They don't smell now, but leaving poop in there will make them smell. If I don't want to throw something in my garbage, will you be fine with me putting it in yours? You're extremely rude and entitled, and if you can't be responsible with walking the dog, you shouldn't be doing it. YTA.”
Offering up some constructive advice, a fourth added: “Just buy zip ties and tie it to the leash or buy a leash attachment that allows you to clip the bags on.”
Jess Hardiman