Friend Of Humanity Dog Poo Warning Spray System

This system will allow you to warn fellow humans beings that there is dog mess in their path, and give them time to sidestep it.

You have done a good thing.

Step 1 The Inspiration.

Britain is tiny and it is absolutely covered in dog mess; running, walking or cycling requires constant vigilance.

One day I found some fluorescent powdered chalk in a skip.
I decided to mark every poo I encountered on my jogging route, as I ran.
The next day, when I jogged, I easily avoided every one of them.
Also, I had the humourous vision of people looking at these turds and wondering who would have been sad enough to annoint them.

It was me.

Anyway, then my mind came up with a bike mounted spray system.

I didn't want to make it but my brain just wouldn't shut up until I did,(I'm sure you know the feeling.)

O.K., I didn't really have a plan except to make it a simple and quickly as possible.

Here are the bits that I started with...


A brake lever, Aluminum pole, a bit of wood, and some brake cable.
Also pictured is a stencil; the idea was to turn a thing of revulsion into a thing of beauty.

Unfortunately, tests showed that the stencil would have to actually be laying on the poo to be effective; I gave the stencil idea up.

Comments

[Wasagi]

I really like this idea!! Also, like the potential to biking into a parking lot and painting a very very large smiley face then biking away forthwith.

[malkanero]

I live in NYC uptown Inwood To be PC witch i hate , on the other side of Brwway where all the untrained people live with there good dog's . this Tool is a must .& just maybe it could shame some one,. you must do an Iris Gig just to get to the store' Your idea is brilliant Thank you

[Gorfram]

Great idea, excellent 'ible. And I love your remark about Britain being covered in dog mess. I have long been worried about such a small landmass forced to absorb the impact of 30 million tourists landing on it every year, and now I can add the weight of canine land mines to my mental vision of a proud & noble Britannia slowly sinking into the waves she rules. :)

[sammyBoy]

Cool idea - but how about bypassing all this hard work and just lobby to have all dog food made bright yellow and glow in the dark???

[sammyBoy]

PS - do you ever get the brake lever and the spray lever mixed up and paint a long yellow line leading to the tree you crashed into?

[bob.smitty]

There was a time not too long ago when a lot of people was marking poo in the US.

[echo_anomie]

You could extend this idea for blind people by dropping little beeping beacons to warn of impending poo.

[duct tape apprentice]

What if they were blind & deaf? then what?

[bob.smitty]

I say you keep them indoors most of the time, and when out they would need a guide of some sort. Hopefully not a guide dog. :x

[SerialATA]

Airsoft turrets.

[copycat42]

what snotty-faced heap of parrot droppings would let his dog do its business on the balking or biking path?

[berserk]

One of those fascinating cultural differences between Europe and North America, for one. In Europe, even the nice little old lady from next door will, and no one will say a thing. Different sensibilities - people there would not want to be seen picking up or carrying poop. Turn it around the other way, and most North Americans would not be as casual about going to a nude beach. Odd comparison, but the issue is simply culture in both cases.

[headphoned]

It's odd you feel that way because I didn't encounter any PICK UP YOUR DOG POO OR ELSE (paraphrase) signs until I came to Europe for school.

[copycat42]

Maybe they should mark the OWNER instead of the poo. and for the record, I can't imagine anyone would WANT to see me at a nude beach (unless they hadn't had a good laugh in a while) :) :| :(

[omnibot]

Over here (Sweden) It's practically a felony to leave your dogs droppings on the sidewalk.

[haptotrope]

Actually it would be awesome to mark Potholes in the street... as a way to flag it for other riders, and to draw attention to it on the city-admin's end.

[berserk]

You beat me to the pot hole thought. I am actually wondering - marking potholes might even be legal, since really all you are doing is marking a hazard. Interesting thought, even without the nifty bike attachment :-)

[jeff-o]

I agree. I ride mostly on the roads, so I rarely encounter poop on my commute. Potholes can be found by the dozen, though! The downside of marking stuff on the road is that it isn't really safe to stop...

[haptotrope]

For a while, I was thinking paintball guns full of flourecence.. but i think I'd settle on a water balloon of florescent gelatin -- rolls to a lowest point, doesn't bounce, and will eventually get smashed and the bright but environmentally friendly mark is left. Though with a handlebar mounted bucket brightly colored chalk, you would just need to grab a handful and throw it down.

[Johenix]

I know that dogs, foxes, wolves, coyotes and dingos always raise their leg at the same scent post to mark and claim their teritory. A dirty trick is to anoint a spot on a "BAD" neighbor's property (door step?) with the proper fluid and watch the neighborhood dogs make it a daily STINKING stop. I wonder if a dog's Richard serves a similar social signal. I have heard that it is used to really violate a rival's teritory (like the mouth of his den). Could we find some way to nullify the attraction of the footpath and perhaps divert it to perhaps some selected flower beds?

[Prometheus]

Ammonia will likely deter any canine from wanting to hang around....that's a start...

[Valche]

I love the ingenuity here, +1! While I don't think I'll be tagging turds, I think this has great potential.

[Prometheus]

I agree, and it has great potential indeed....but not for this...

[Prometheus]

Ever consider lobbying parliament for a "scoop-law" instead? You can't just "eliminate" anywhere you want and leave it there, so why not have everyone get responsible and pick up after their dogs? Social responsibility is tough on the individual, but helps the society, which eases the strain on the individual.... Might be too much logic for some, but it really works....

[jamesohaodha]

You, my friend are a genius and an inspiration.

[solo.card]

I love this idea. Though it does make me wonder how much longer my journey would take when I stop at every poo I see to mark it.

[unspecified]

Judging by the dings in the can you are way too close to the ground.

[FriendOfHumanity]

I took the photographs before I rode the bike, but somehow you are absolutely correct; It was a bit low and just scraped a little when I cornerned. I have rectified this now.

[Lost Moai]

Fantastic design! Very simple and effective. The only problem with this particular usage is the permanance of the paint. The dog poo will eventually wash away, but how long will the yellow over-spray remain on the sidewalk? Do they make a spray chalk or a washable spray paint that a good rain will clean up?

[FriendOfHumanity]

There is a temporary spray-paint for marking out landscape projects, it is a bit expensive though. To be honest, if you hit the poop right, it does not go onto the pavement. Mainly, I am marking the one's on rough ground that are on my running or cycling routes.

[thewoodcarver]

Chalk for marking lines on baseball field would work and will wash away ...not sure of the cost and delivery method tho .....just as easy to carry a few plastic sandwich bags when walking the killer 8 lb Pom from hell....I doo like this idea wonder if

[rimar2000]

GENIAL, congratulations.

[Rockerx]

I had to put a muzzle on my brain :( P.S. Nice Instructable!

[GorillazMiko]

Definitely a winner Instructable. Looks great on the bike, just an amazing idea, +1 rating.

[Kiteman]

Nice idea. I suppose you could replace the aerosol can with a plant-mister, then you could spray anything you liked - maybe a cocktail of marking liquid and dog-repellent to stop them doing it there another time.

Or you could mount it with the nozzle pointing sideways, and surreptitiously mark the dogs themselves...

You're right about the problem, though - we have a large common, full of trees and bushes, perfect for dogs without causing a hazard to suede shoes. Yet they all seem to do it on the bridge that leads over the railway line, to the common, so that all our Cubs etc have to weave around it on their way to meetings.

[matseng]

In India the authorities has started to spray paint the people that are riding on the roof of the trains so they can catch them at the station later. Maybe that idea could be implemented here also. Spray paint the bastards that let their darlings poop on the pavement and not picking it up. That would serve them right. :-)