Charities unite to kick up a stink about dog poo

scottish charities are barking mad over dog poo.

Keep scotland Beautiful and the Dogs trust have joined nFu scotland to appeal for policy makers, the private sector and individuals to act on fouling.

they say that, despite dog fouling fines increasing by 100 per cent in 2016, the levels of dog mess in scotland are at their highest in a decade, and this is contributing towards what they claim are the country’s declining environmental quality standards.

not cleaning up after your dog on public land is illegal, yet dog owners are continuing to flout the law.

And now the charities are calling for a review of current legislation and enforcement measures to ensure that procedures are effective, rules are enforced and fines are paid.

Derek robertson, chief executive of Keep scotland Beautiful, said:“Evidence from national and local research demonstrates that the impact of dog fouling is consistently one of the most important environmental issues to communities.

“We need a louder collective voice and more effective, and efficient, use of existing resources to tackle the issue in scotland.”

Earlier this year, we revealed plans to renfrewshire Council to hound irresponsible dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets.

they are facing big fines and prosecution as part of a major new crackdown across renfrewshire.

Council tenants will even have to sign a pledge promising to abide by the rules before they are given permission to keep a pet.

Bosses say the move will force owners to take more responsibility for their dog, or face the consequences.

the renfrewshire responsible Dog ownership strategy aims to tackle the scourge of dog fouling and will target repeat offenders using CCtV and increased warden patrols.

new legislation introduced last year requires all dogs to be microchipped by their owners and increased the fine levels from £40 to £80 for dog fouling.

A spokesperson for renfrewshire Council said: “renfrewshire Council is aware of the complaints of dog fouling and is committed to tackling this.

“We are getting the message out through a combination of enforcement, education and public participation.

“the renfrewshire responsible Dog ownership strategy was approved at the Environment Policy Board in november 2016 and highlights different ways that the council is striving to tackle dog fouling in the community.

“there are four key priorities that we are focussing on — increased partnership working, promoting responsible behaviours, tackling persistent offenders and improved enforcement, and tackling out of control dogs.

“this includes the use of social media to highlight the issue and also encourages dog owners to sign the responsible Dog ownership pledge to make their own personal commitment to the effort.

“the council is also working with partners and will use visits by the animal wardens to highlight how someone can be a responsible owner.

“our wardens attend complaints of dog fouling and part of the new strategy includes targeted enforcement within hotspot areas.

“Where a warden witnesses a dog owner fail to pick up after their dog, an £80 fixed penalty notice will be issued.”