The Kintyre Forum

Dog owners warned to scoop it, bag it, bin it - or pay the price

ARGYLL and Bute Council is taking action to deal with dog owners who fail to clear up after their pets during walks in the area’s towns, villages and rural communities.

One dog owner in the Mid Argyll area has already fallen foul of a £40 fine after being issued with a fixed penalty notice by council officers who have been carrying out special patrols to tackle the problem. Several dog walkers have also been cautioned.

Dog fouling is an unsightly problem which becomes worse in the darker winter hours and affects facilities used by everyone in the community, from popular walking spots to sports fields used by young people.

Now, Argyll and Bute Council teams are responding by carrying out extra patrols in the early morning and evening, as well as working in partnership with local police.

It is an offence to allow your dog to foul on public land (including parks, foot paths, grass verges and roadside gutters) without cleaning it up immediately. Any pet owner who fails to pick up the mess left behind by their dog risks, at best, a caution or a fixed penalty notice with an on-the-spot £40 fine. However, any unpaid fixed penalty case which ends up in court could result in a fine of up to £500 – an expensive price to pay for not taking the time to clean up after your pet when it is out in public.

Argyll and Bute Council’s lead councillor for licensing and regulatory services, Sandy Taylor, said: “People who live, work and visit our communities should not have to put up with the unsightly blight on the landscape caused by dog fouling. Nor should they have to suffer the consequences of stepping on the mess left behind by irresponsible dog owners.

“Council staff are making extra efforts to tackle the problem but dog owners should be aware of their own responsibilities to clean up after their pets and dispose of waste safely.

“Dog owners should always be prepared when exercising their pets, carrying a suitable bag to be used to pick up and dispose of this waste. They certainly should not walk away leaving the mess on our footpaths, pavements, public spaces and sports fields causing distress to other people. Failing to do so could prove extremely expensive for dog owners.”

Dog fouling in your community can also be reported using the council’s website at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/myabc/dogfouling or at your nearest customer service point.

Is there someone locally who enforces this? Or just talk?

As well as giving them a fine they should be named and shamed.

Ship called Dignity wrote:Is there someone locally who enforces this? Or just talk?

Yes, Campbeltown has its own council dog warden. Plus, whilst on patrol the local Police are always on the lookout for those offending by not cleaning up after their dog. Some may regard this as being a little 'petty', but in a community such as ours which enjoys relatively low levels of crime, offences such as dog-fouling and littering become important issues.

I must say, the problem of dog-fouling was one of the first things I noticed after moving to Campbeltown. That and the amount of litter. Campbeltown has a fantastic opportunity this year, with the prospect of a ferry and weekend flights bringing visitors in. We must grasp this chance to sell our part of the world to tourism, and it would be such a shame if visitors this year are greeted by dog muck, litter and a town looking like a building site!

Also, I'm fed up of diligently picking up after my pooch, only to stand in the mess left by another! I couldn't believe my eyes last year, when I walked down to the recently opened Royal Hotel, to find that some proud citizen had allowed their dog to foul all along the frontage of the establishment.......welcome to Campbeltown!

The latest "trick"where I walk my dogs is for people to pick up the faeces in a bag,tie a knot in it and dispose of it on a fence,hedge or bush like some weird form of decoration.

Kintyre Forum News wrote:[size=150 One dog owner in the Mid Argyll area has already fallen foul of a £40 fine after being issued with a fixed penalty notice by council officers who have been carrying out special patrols to tackle the problem. Several dog walkers have also been cautioned..

I wonder why one person was fined but the rest were cautioned?
Did they have a big dog?
What about horses crapping on Westport beach?

gizmo wrote:What about horses crapping on Westport beach?

Oh no don't mention the horses viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10769

LANDROVER ROGER wrote:The latest "trick"where I walk my dogs is for people to pick up the faeces in a bag,tie a knot in it and dispose of it on a fence,hedge or bush like some weird form of decoration.

Yeah, never quite understood that....picking something up which, although disgusting, is at least bio-degradable, then wrapping it in a plastic bag and creating some kind of horrific Christmas tree! Dog fouling AND littering in one 'foul' swoop. As for the horses, would rather take my chance standing in what is effectively just chewed hay and oats than a dog turd!

I Howlsatthemoon dont get us horsey folk started on about poo and the beach again as you wont win

Dog poo is nasty smelly and can harm humans because of the type of worms that it may contain . Its smells bad as most dogs eat meat It sticks to your shoes and is sometimes bliddy hard to clean off

Horse poo is as Landrover Roger said is grass, oats etc etc, all vegetarian stuff so not AS smelly in fact quite a nice country smell and not harmful to humans . Washes away very quickly, washes of your shoes very easily , in fact doesn't stick to them like dog poo does anyway and is good for the gerdin !!.If you would like some for your roses just give me a shout

Also horse poo being larger than a dog poo , you would manage to see it better hence not step in in if that's what is bothering you about it ??

Rockape wrote:

Ship called Dignity wrote:Is there someone locally who enforces this? Or just talk?

Yes, Campbeltown has its own council dog warden. Plus, whilst on patrol the local Police are always on the lookout for those offending by not cleaning up after their dog. Some may regard this as being a little 'petty', but in a community such as ours which enjoys relatively low levels of crime, offences such as dog-fouling and littering become important issues.

I wish they would come and catch the owner of the dog who is letting dog shit all over the pavement opposite the shop in Ralston Road up here! Disgusting!

smiles wrote:I wish they would come and catch the owner of the dog who is letting dog shit all over the pavement opposite the shop in Ralston Road up here! Disgusting!

Unfortunately, as with littering, failing to clear up after a dog is an offence which takes seconds to complete. The chances of a person committing the offence as a Police car is passing by are very slim, so it's very difficult for the Police to catch them in the act. So, as with so many matters in this community, the Police and dog warden need the public's help in tackling the issue. Information which could identify offenders should be passed onto the Police or the dog warden, care of A+B Council.

here is a handy item, you spray the poo and it freezes it making it easier to pick up......

POOP-FREEZE Aerosol Freeze Spray (10 oz)

It's the same in Tomaig, just because we are 2 seconds from open land doesn't mean you can let your dog crap all over the pavement when there are children playing there!

There are plenty or responsible dog owners up here, why can't the one's who take their dogs up scoop it as they must walk past it everyday!! How would they like it if I had a dog let it crap at their gate it's digusting and germ ridden!!

MPR wrote:here is a handy item, you spray the poo and it freezes it making it easier to pick up......

POOP-FREEZE Aerosol Freeze Spray (10 oz)

Read that without my glasses the first time.I thought that freezing the dog`s aerosol was a bit harsh!

Kudos Rog. First laugh out loud post of 2013.