In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Undo.”
If you could un-invent something, what would it be? Discuss why, potential repercussions, or a possible alternative.
To un-invent or un-do anything will cause repercussions and problems for all involved, no matter what the subject, or social issues are, however, with so many considerations, I will make this simple.
I believe dog owners who pick up their dog’s poop by hand, should be un-invented.
I have been a dog and cat owner on several occasions throughout my life, and although I’m currently not a dog owner, I have never picked up my pets droppings specifically dog poop with my hand inside of a bag of any type.
I devoted at least twelve years of my life collecting dog poop in my backyard as a child, and teenager, and on several occasions, I step in my fair share of poop.
I was instructed and ordered by my father to sprinkle lime in the areas where the dog poop was located and because of me there were no sights or smells of dog poop in our backyard.
My children have were cat owners, so I have cleaned my share of cat litter boxes, but I refused to walk my dog and pick up their droppings by hand when I have a back yard for them to do their business.
My belief became an un-inventing idea, I passed on to my neighbor when, standing at my mail box one day. My neighbor walked past me with her Labrador Retriever, Misty on a leash in her right hand and a local plastic shopping bag in her left hand.
As we talked, the bag fell to the ground as she began to restrain Misty who was raring to leave. So, after I reached down for the bag to give it back to her, I asked, what was the bag for. She said, it’s to pickup the dog poop.
Now, I guess the perplexed look on my face startled her, as I imagined my neighbor reaching down to retrieve the dropping of her 90-pound Lab. When she asked, what’s wrong?
I said, you have, a half an acre of wooded backyard, with seven, 75-feet, Red Oak Trees, and you are about walk Misty and pickup her droppings? Why can’t Misty go before or wait until you two return home?
Now, after my comment, my neighbor offered me the most perplex look as she stood considering what I said. As she stood in thought staring at me, I commented on how she makes her two young daughters, under the age of ten, go to the bathroom before she leaves her hme to go shopping.
She smiled and said thank you. She turns around walking Misty to the side of her home, opening the wooden gate and yelled, “Go do your business!” Moments later, standing inside my garage, she waved as she pass with a smile on her face walking Misty up the street without the plastic bag.
Needless to mention, Misty now poops in the backyard exclusively and my neighbor’s husband covers the poop with lime and they have also trained Misty to go in one area of the backyard.
I think, un-inventing or un-doing the idea of picking up dog poop by hand would cause few repercussions. It would take every dog owner back to a time when dog owners picked up dog poop with a shovel made specifically for those who walk their dog.
I don’t see a day into the distant future when humans walking with their family members or children would stop to recover their fecal droppings by hand and carry them to a receptacle or back home for disposal.
Now, since cats use a litter box and dogs can learn how to use something similar within the home, who is the smarter of the species?
I cannot imagine as much as we love our pets and they love us in return, I cannot believe dogs without opposing thumbs will be wiping our butts.
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