Well, the threat to Sutton is hopefully less from the changes to lifestyles as currently ascribed to Artificial Intellegence (AI), but of a concern is the one response that it has just shared with us. To the question so posed “What is the average weight of a single piece of dog poop” came the response:
The weight of dog poop can vary widely based on the size, breed, and diet of the dog, as well as the frequency and amount of food they consume. On average, a small dog’s poop might weigh around 0.1 to 0.3 ounces (3 to 9 grams), while a larger dog’s poop could weigh anywhere from 0.5 to 1.5 pounds (227 to 680 grams) or more.
So what might that mean in practice?
Well, over the last 12 months residents concerned with the fouling of Sutton’s public spaces have when appropriate and if they have a smart camera/mobile phone with them, photographed the faeces on the footpaths on which they were deposited. The poops (American version for our own Poo) were then geolocated on a satellite view of Sutton so that those areas where there was a prevalence of deposits could be identified.
Now, back to AI and using an average of 500 grams per deposit and the number of poops so located of 149 we can say that our spotters have located around 75 kgs of dog poop. This of course pre-supposes that all poop so located is from a canine source, but let us not dwell too much on that!
The point of posting what is undoubtedly a very unsavoury piece on the website is to recognise that after a year of keeping an eye on Sutton’s footpaths we have decided to call a halt on our activity to identify what we called the ‘Hot Squats’ (those areas where most fouling takes place).
To be frank we have not achieved what we hoped would be a reduction in fouling of our public spaces. Our public footpaths are still fouled, so we have failed, and that is a disappointing outcome.
However should you wish to see the areas that are the most fouled walks on our website, take a look for example at Hot Squats 5.
Thanks to all of those residents, and one in particular, who have shared their images with us over the last year and we leave you with a final image of bagged and abandoned deposits from July this year. You might like to view that image and come up with your own title that epitomises the current state of affairs. We have already done that!