Hiker stunned after witnessing vile action in local state forest: 'It's getting worse'

Out for a recent walk, a hiker noticed something tied to a tree branch. Moving closer, they realized with disgust that it was a bulging bag of dog poop.

They posted a photo of the offending sight on Reddit, offering some choice expletives and concluding, "Clean up after your dogs please."

Many others chimed in that they had seen increasing rates of similar behavior in their own local forests and parks. "It's getting worse," one person lamented.

Another vented, "So… who do they expect to throw it away, the poopie bag fairy?"

Some people pointed out that dog owners tie the bag to an obvious place as a reminder to pick it up on their way home, so that they don't have to carry it during the entire hike.

But this, many argued, is just as irresponsible. Many people don't end up taking circular routes, and others simply forget to retrieve their stashed poop, leaving it for others to see for months to come. Additionally, there are workarounds to avoid carrying the bag directly, such as clipping it to the leash or using a separate bag or bottle to store it.

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One person shared a particularly horrifying story. "There was a guy in Jersey City who would do this in this tiny little park the size of the footprint of a modest home with eight saplings in it," they wrote. "He would hang the bags in the same tree until the tree had ten or fifteen bags in it. A tree no higher than ten feet tall."

Parks and natural areas are meant to be enjoyed by all people, dog owners and non-dog owners alike, and behaving this way casts a massive damper on the experience for everybody.

Even the so-called 'biodegradable' dog poop bags often take decades to decompose, leaching microplastics into the environment as they do. And dog excrement acts as a harboring place for bacteria and disease-carrying vectors like mosquitoes, situated directly where people walk.

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Overall, the best thing to do for your neighbors and the planet is to plan ahead to be able to carry out anything you carry in — from dog poop to soda cans.