Dog Community

Kids Scoop Poop?

Posted : 6/16/2006 12:44:33 PM

Do you let your kids pick up after your dogs? My seven year old is negotiating to have this be one of his chores, as it is easy and only has to be done once a day (as opposed to setting the table or filling water buckets). I have qualms because of the health concerns, though he is a very fastidious seven year old who would rather die than touch poop. On the other side of the coin, with eight house dogs, two pasture dogs, and numerous other animals, they are constantly exposed to whatever I actually need to be concerned about already.

Whatcha think?

agilebcs

Posted : 6/16/2006 12:50:18 PM

Have him pick it up and then send him to my yard and I'll pay him!!!

Seriously, I don't see the harm in it.

brookcove

Posted : 6/16/2006 12:58:34 PM

Did I mention this child also voluntarily cleans his own bathroom? I don't rejoice too much, though. I can see other signs of a slight OCD nature, so we try to encourage him to "loosen up" as much as possible so he doesn't end up in a bare flat in Manhattan vacuuming the ceiling over and over. Thus, we are working to desensitize him whenever possible to life's normal disorder and informality. Taking charge of the yard would be a great healthy outlet for his tendencies (he also wants to do other things, like weeding and such).

spartanpele

Posted : 6/16/2006 1:17:18 PM

Wow, lucky you. We used to have to make our kids pickup the poop ("poop patrol") as a form of punishment. I don't see anything wrong with having him do it. Just train him correctly so he doesn't step in it, or get it on his hands or clothes, etc. I'd probably also pay him a bit (allowance) as well. As for the OCD... the best thing to do is help him learn to relax and teach him its ok to get dirty. Go to a creek or pond and play in the mud, catch frogs or toads with your hands, be messy.

labcrab

Posted : 6/16/2006 2:02:00 PM

I had to pick up the poop as a kid too! Okay, so the only reason it wouldn't be fine is if the feces contained something that could be passed on to him. So.. they say that raw fed dogs *can* pass bacteria (salmonella) to a human if the feces is handled. I honestly think he'd have actually get some in his mouth or eye AND the poop would also have to be dangerous in the first place. Certain parasites can be passed on via feces as well, no? Again, he'd have to pick it up with his bare hands! haha. gross. [:'(]

He'll be FINE!! Let the boy pick up some POOP!!!

brookcove

Posted : 6/16/2006 3:56:42 PM

Again, he'd have to pick it up with his bare hands! haha. gross.

Oh wow, I couldn't in a million years imagine that boy doing such a thing. He's a brave fellow in many other ways, but dirt just freaks the heck out of him. Now, my other boy eats dirt for breakfast and can get filthy in the five minutes between my putting a new shirt on him and our heading out the door. [

] I love em both, of course.

Firestorm

Posted : 6/16/2006 4:07:09 PM

My kids go out in the yard and pick up my Shih Tzu's lil poops with a plastic pitch fork. Believe it or not the pitchfork works well on his poop.