Dog Fouling is UK’s number one ‘pet hate’
When asked by Keep Britain Tidy, the public cited it as totally unacceptable not to clean-up your dog’s mess and as a top spending priority for councils over other environmental blights such as litter, fly-tipping and graffiti.
Ian Clayton, Deputy Chief Executive, Keep Britain Tidy said: “There is widespread upset across the nation about dog fouling. Many people find it highly offensive. Some parents are concerned that when their children go out to play in their local park, they will come back with dog fouling on their shoes, clothes or person.”
Dog fouling is a scourge on one in ten areas with its occurrence increasing by 2% in the last year. It is mainly found in public open spaces like parks and recreational fields – the areas where children play and local sporting events, such as football leagues, take place.
Keep Britain Tidy believes that for everyone to enjoy pristine parks and spotless streets – free from dog mess – all owners should take responsibility and clean up after their dog. And, that includes teaching children that when they take their dog for a walk, they have to clean up its poo. It is not an excuse for an owner to say that their dog ran off and fouled out of sight.
There have been various approaches by councils to help eradicate dog fouling and encourage people to clean-up after their pet. They include spraying piles of dog mess with yellow paint or sticking a flag in it to raise awareness. And some have even resorted to banning dogs from particular areas or ordering owners to keep them on the lead.
“Leaving your dog mess on the streets and in parks for others to endure is not acceptable. There is no excuse for not being a responsible owner, everyone should pick up after their pooch” added Ian.