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Sick of his city’s dog poo problem, a London dad turned daily frustration into a catchy song

'I am constantly having to tell my children to 'watch the poop' – I say it so much that we decided to try to make a song about it.'

BY HRIDYAMBIKA A MANU

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

(L ) Poodle dog pooping defecate on walk path in a park ; (R) A man playing guitar and singing (Representative Cover Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) ThamKC ; (R) PixelsEffect)

South Norwood resident Jonathan Tolhurst has nothing but praise to sing about his community, except for one issue that he has been facing challenges to tackle: dog poo. However, instead of going on a march to police dog owners about their sense of responsibility, the 47-year-old dad found a creative way to tackle the area's issue. He wrote a humorous protest song called Watch the Poop! to address the problem.

A dog owner picking up dog poop. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Liudmila Chernetska)

As reported by Your Local Guardian on Monday, December 15, 2025, Tolhurst, an NHS employee, has always been concerned about dog owners not cleaning up after their pets. However, he found a brilliant way to tackle the issue, using his love of songwriting and the constant phrase he used with his two children while they go on walks, "Watch the poop," with that becoming its title. The song addresses the issue in South Norwood. While Tolhurst penned the song a few years ago, he revived the track using AI-generated vocals. He said, "I performed it myself at first, but the version I've published uses an AI singer, which is why it doesn't sound like me."

Representative Image Source: Pexels| Samson Katt — Woman with her dog. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Samson Katt

The intention behind the video was to keep it positive while spreading awareness. It took Tolhurst about 12 hours to turn it into a song, while the song was accompanied by photographs he clicked in his neighborhood in the SE25 postcode. On his official website, he uploaded the song and wrote, "'Watch the poo' – A protest song about the amount of dog poo around South Norwood. While walking around the area, I am constantly having to tell my children to 'watch the poop' – I say it so much that we decided to try to make a song about it! LOVE DOGS. HATE DOG POOP. PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR PET." Though Tolhurst loves his neighborhood, he admits that a few issues persist. "It's a lovely area, but there's still dog poop, fly-tipping, and a few other issues. We're hoping the council will sort them out one day," he said.

The dad, who previously owned a German Shepherd-Collie mix named Molly, noted that while most dog owners are responsible, a few of them fail to abide by the rules. Despite the subject behind the song, Tolhurst is proud of his creation. "It's quite a nice, catchy song." A 2017 study published in the Journal of Environmental Science & Technology notes that humans can be exposed to harmful germs when animal feces are not properly managed, especially in communities where people and animals live close together. The study found that contact with animal feces can lead to illnesses such as diarrhea, worm infections, trachoma, poor gut health, and slowed growth in children. Researchers also highlighted measures, including keeping animals away from living spaces, providing tools to clean up animal waste, limiting animal movement, and promoting good hygiene practices.