Could the dog poop be from foxes?

Posted by wildflower12345678@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 34 comments

There is always people on the local FB group complaining about dog owners leaving their dogs mess on the pavements for others to clean up/step in/walk around. As a dog owner myself I always clean up after my dog, I take a torch with me after dark and have a good look around to make sure I get it all, and I see other dog owners around the village also doing the same, and I know there is bound to be some random dog owners who don't do this, but most of them are good people who take their responsibilities seriously, but it got me wondering if it is always dog poo, or could it be from foxes, cats, hedgehogs, mink etc? We live in a semi rural area and I know there are foxes that come through every night, because I have seen them as I drive home from work in the early hours and hear them barking frequently when I am at home. Mink have been seen as there is a river very near by. There are as many cats as there are dogs, and they go wherever they feel like.

34 Comments

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Ok-Jacket8836@reddit

No, it's either dog poo, or fox poo. Dog poo can't be from foxes.

Jayatthemoment@reddit

My sister had a cat the size of a goat. His shits were massive. They don’t really go in the street though — they prefer a little privacy so they’ll go in your flowerbeds, if you have them.

WoodyManic@reddit

Dog mess and fox scat looks very different.

LittleSadRufus@reddit

Foxes also prefer to go on grass / soft surfaces like cats in my experience. Not pavements like dogs. (On soft services like cats do, not on soft surfaces such as for example a cat).

decentlyfair@reddit

Fox poo smells differently. This I know as if my dog finds any she rolls in it.

TheShakyHandsMan@reddit

You can definitely tell fox shit from the smell.

JurassicM4rc@reddit

And if you're still uncertain, the taste will definitely help you tell.

foxaru@reddit

I'm not sure I've eaten enough dog shit to adequately tell them apart in all honesty

Just keep practicing. After a few weeks you'll pick it up.

ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

Slightly sloppier texture as well. There are urban foxes near here and you can see the different consistency very easily Cat poos are generally smaller than those of dogs (other than toy breeds)

dtdink@reddit

I find it really easy to tell the difference between fox poo and my dog's poo: the foxes have this weird habit of pooping on top of my dog's football in the back garden. I'm not sure whether to be annoyed or impressed by their aim/dexterity... 😆

Drwynyllo@reddit

Fox poo looks quite different to dog poo. (And smells different, too, although I can understand if you're reluctant to get close enough to notice.) Dog poo varies a lot, depending on the size/breed of dog, and what the owner feeds it. But fox poo is sometimes "pointy" at one end, sometimes looks a bit "twisted", and contains fur, feathers, tiny bones, seeds and berries. It also often looks "bobbly", because of the seeds or fruit stones in it. There's a handy guide -- "What animal poo is this?" -- on The Wildlife Trusts website, at [https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/identify-poo](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/identify-poo)

BeatificBanana@reddit

There's been something shitting on my decking regularly for ages now, I must have browsed a dozen of those guides and I still can't figure out what animal it is. My house backs onto a little forest and we get a lot of wildlife, mostly squirrels and various birds (pigeons/doves, magpies, songbirds, owls) but I've also seen rats, bats, foxes, deer, etc. Nothing in these guides looks like the kind of poo I keep finding though. It's about the same size and colour as a large cat poo, but it's extremely watery (like lumpy diarrhoea) and it almost always has little white swirly patches in it. You sound like you know what you're talking about so if you have any ideas let me know 😂

It could maybe still be a fox, depending on what it's been eating. But try posting a photo of the next one you see on r/whatisthispoop \-- the people on there *really* know what they're talking about.

Of course there's a subreddit for that, lol. Thanks!

SelfEmployedHumanoid@reddit

No. Fox shit is black and is generally found in long grass or bushes, it looks different. Cat shit, in your garden. Hedgehogs, mink etc. not even worth mentioning, unless you are looking for it you won't see it. The shit on pavements is dogs.

Neddlings55@reddit

I live in a rural village - its dog shit. You can tell its dog shit a mile off. The fox population in the UK is a fraction of the dog one.

DameKumquat@reddit

I agree that fox shit tends to be drier and not left in the middle of a pavement, but are you sure there's fewer foxes than dogs? My London street has two dogs and a dozen cats, and at least six foxes - there's a chicken shop on the corner. There's dozens of dens with foxes and cubs near my parents (semi-rural) and not that many dogs. I'd guess the foxes have the edge, especially in cities.

There are around 13 million dogs in the UK, and under 500,000 foxes. City fox shit is obviously very different to rural foxes - its like tar where i am. Not remotely dry at all.

I wonder how many of those dogs have owners that don't clean up their poo though? (not saying you're wrong, just curious)

Sea-Possession-1208@reddit

On my road once of my neighbours went proper mad at the little old lady with the tiny dog for letting him crap on his front lawn It was hedgehog poo. Same as on my lawn

Familiar-Repeat-1565@reddit

To a degree that's just a bit funny.

terryjuicelawson@reddit

Fox poo has its own farmyard smell to it. Dog poo smells like rotting Pedigree Chum, which is what it is I guess.

Twolef@reddit

If there’s a polar bear standing on it, it’s definitely a Fox’s

ukbot-nicolabot@reddit

A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question

gardenfella@reddit

Da dum tsss

_ElMapache_@reddit

Fox poop comes from foxes, dog poop comes from dogs.

sloth_ers@reddit

Thank you oh poop oracle.

I prefer scatman.

SuddenlyMorlocks@reddit

Alright John.

Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub Yo da dub dub Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub Yo da dub dub

wormtickler@reddit

I live near loads of field and woodland, fox shite seems to attract dogs and I've seen any amount roll in it and want the scent of it on their own fur, even had my own gold lab do it once and the shite was blacker and more claggy than I'd expect dog shite to be. Either way, we didn't know it was fox shite till we were sat stroking her when we got home and as you do, I had a smell of it and it had a sickly, sweeter smell to it that apparently dogs really like, hence why it had my dog rolling in it like it was perfume. If I were you, just to be sure, pop out onto the local green and stick your beak down near the shite, see if you can detect it.

WrongExplanation1065@reddit

Fox poop doesn't look like dog poop

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