As moms, you all know how difficult it can be to get out the door. You need to grab lunch, snacks, and water, plus you need to bring stuff for your kids too. Chances are you routinely forget something, whether it’s your cell phone, your wallet, or the letters you were supposed to mail. So you don’t need anything else to slow you down. All this preamble to say I really did not appreciate being late to pick up son #1 at preschool today because I had to scrape dog dung off son #2’s shoes.
If there are two types of people in this world—dog owners and non-dog owners (we do not own a dog because hubby has severe allergies)—then there are two types of dog owners: those who scoop poop and those who do not. To the latter group, I say, darn you, but in much stronger language than what is acceptable in this particular setting.
I mean, really: that is SO DISGUSTING!!!
Of course, when I picked up the offending shoe, I got the stinking animal feces on my fingers and under my nails. And you can just imagine the stench. That gross visceral experience made me realize that if it was coming off on my hands, then surely it had already come off on our front-entry floor.
Deep breaths.
But tell me, how does one effectively remove doggie doo-doo from the multipatterned treads of a child’s shoe?
It’s not easy, especially when you are in a rush.
In this particular case, I chucked the vile footwear outside and grabbed something else for son #2 to wear, hoping that the stuff will evaporate in the February air. Or that my husband will clean it off.
But come on, non-scooping dog owners, please. Think about all the boys and girls out there who like to walk on the grass, roll down hills, and pick up stones and sticks with their bare hands. Think about all those adorable, trusting little ones who might one day end up falling face first into your pet’s piles. You don’t even have to think about the disgust and ire of their parents.
Just clean up for the children.