The Lord Mayor of Dublin Tom Brabazon has launched Dublin City Council’s new dog fouling awareness campaign ‘Dog Poo, It’s Everybody’s Business’.
The aim of this campaign is to highlight the major issue of dog waste in our public parks and open spaces and to encourage dog owners and dog walkers to pick up after their dog, as dog waste affects the whole community.
Recent research carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes for Dogs Trust revealed that 96 per cent of dog owners claimed they do pick up after their dog. Yet 57 per cent of people surveyed indicated that there is a big problem with dog fouling in their area. Seven in 10 people claimed to have walked in dog poo on the street, 51 per cent came across dog poo in their local park, 31 per cent rolled a buggy through dog poo, 33 per cent rolled a bicycle through it and 11 per cent rolled their wheelchair through it.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the campaign, the Lord Mayor said the issue of dog waste has now become a major issue in our public parks and open spaces in the city.
"There are some people in our community who are more at risk of coming into contact with dog waste and putting their health in danger, such as wheelchair users, visually impaired people, babies and toddlers as well as people who play outdoor sports.
"Whether you own a dog or not, dog waste in public spaces affects everyone in the whole community. I would encourage all dog owners to act responsibly and pick up after their dog as dog waste affects everyone.”
It’s estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million faecal coliform bacteria, which are known to cause cramps, diarrhoea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in humans. Dog poo can also contain nasty bacteria such as E-coli and parasites like round worm, the larvae of which can cause loss of vision.
The council is urging dog owners to always pick up after their dog using a Poo Bag or a scooping device before disposing of it in the nearest litter bin or taking it home and placing it in their general household wheelie bin.
Dublin City Council’s Litter Prevention Officer, Ms. Bernie Lillis said: "The message we want to get across to dog owners and dog walkers is when they clean up after their dog, they should not leave the doggie bag on railings or in bushes or on the streets or footpaths, instead they should ‘Bag it and Bin it’.”
A suite of outdoor and digital adverts and a radio ad has been created by the City Council and their creative advertising agency JWTfolk for the campaign, which will be rolled out in Dublin city from March 23 for a two week period.
Remember if you are a dog owner, it is your responsibility to clean up after your dog and if you don’t, you can be fined €150 under the Litter Pollution Act.