Dog Fouling
Posted by jack henry on Friday, 30th March 2012, 07:31
I am sorry to bring this issue up as a post but the totally inconsiderate actions by some dog owners has got my blood boiling.
This evening was the last straw, arriving home I noticed a plastic bag left in my front border, checking I discovered it was material from the rear end of a canine.
Some ‘kind person’ had left it, obviously too lazy to take it back to their own bin to dispose of. Dumping it in people’s gardens is beyond comprehension.
Earlier this week I was walking to post a letter and could not help notice the dog fouling on the parcel of land where the trees and benches are sited in Uplands Road. Several packages of foul dumps. What is the matter with some owners, where is their sense of responsibility?
Over the years I have owned several dogs so I am aware sometimes they drop the rear end without warning, but please make the effort to clear it up and dispose of it safely.
Let me say If I see dog owners not clearing up after their pooch, I will, however unpopular it makes me, take steps to identify them and report their actions to the appropriate authority. Enough is enough!!
Regards to the considerate owners!
jack henry.
28th March 2010
21 Responses to “Dog Fouling”
Leave a Reply
Village
- - Cowes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society
- - Cowes Amateur Winemakers
- - Cowes Heritage
- - Cowes Radar Ex-Employees Association
- - Cowes-Deauville Twinning Association
- - Friends of Northwood Cemetery
- - Friends of Northwood House and Park
- - Medham W.I.
- - Newport Rowing Club
- - Northwood Floral Art Group
- - Northwood Village Produce Association
- - Northwood W.I.
Parish Council
I am aware that this issue has been ongoing within the Northwood area, but as yet I have not seen any positive progress / results.
Yet again I find myself leaving my house in Oxford Street to find another mindless owner has let their dog mess outside my gate / driveway.
With what seems like almost daily accounts of dog fouling along Oxford Street I cannot believe the council have not policed this area with greater effectiveness. Being a major route for school children it is totally unacceptable that we have to accept this issue.
I personally am contemplating installing CCTV as I am sure that the issue is primarily down to a few or possibly a single dog owner.
Antecedents such as fines are only effective when followed by implementation. We need these owners to be fined, as clearly they have no respect for other residents.
I’ve noticed that one kind owner flings their filled dog mess bags across the road towards the hedge along Newport Road by the Flower Pot. I regularly have to dodge round them on my pushbike.
In reply to Karen’s post re Dog Fouling….
She is perfectly correct in her observations about part of the Venner Avenue Play Area. Dis-carded condoms, even on one occasion there was an empty needle exposed for any young child to ‘play with’
When are the Parish Council going to wake up and carry out some basic tasks like keeping the parish clean from this type of filth?
Its all right sitting there making statements such as ‘ we pay to have bins empted’ but does any one actually go round and see if there are any area’s that need cleansing?
Come on folks contact your councillors and let your voice be heard on this issue.
jackhenry.
Further to the outrage over dogfouling, I strongly agree that this is a problem for our area.
I feel the problem with the park is that it isn’t fenced off, which would allow the children and dogs to play separately and safely.
My biggest issue is the corner of Venner Avenue/Wroxall Close which isn’t just littered with dog mess, but used condoms and broken bottles.
It just feels that the community spirit is missing, with everyone pleasing themselves without thinking how this will impact on the people around them.
Surely we can all work together to keep our ‘business’ our business and negate the need for fines or policing which are hard to enforce.
Karen
I think that on the spot dog fines are dealt out a bit like parking tickets. Dog wardens are still around on the Island and only seem to catch stray dogs if and when reported. A fine is given then and I know if you want your dog back you pay it first.
Yes you may need a witness to prove it was that persons dog but that is what the warden should do, see them do it and fine them, not a bad paid job if you can get it!
Why not make the lazy owners go out on the paths and roads with a scoop and bucket for a couple of hours, that or a 500 pound fine. Dirty owners need strong corrective training and would soon be on the straight and narrow with my sort of treatment.
dont mess on my street.
I was at a meeting last year where a Community Manager gave a talk, and it was reckoned that even if they caught a dog owner allowing their dog to foul in a public place they had to have a witness and a photo taken as the deed was being done, and there were so many conditions that had to be complied with and hindrances against bringing a case that it was almost impossible to get a conviction, which may be why prosecutions hardly ever happen. Whether this is true is anybody’s guess but it certainly looks like it might be.
Good point, that about Dog Wardens. Do we still have one? Because I can not remember the last time I saw one. I think that if they or it was to go as a result of cut backs, I don’t believe we would notice the difference.
The problem is as you say the owner not the dog.
The sort of low lifes that let the dog use pavements and play areas plus other peoples gardens and not clean up after them are a small number but get all dog owners a bad name.
I would love to do as you have said and rub it in their nose but we cant do that, but we can and should use what we have and thats dog wardens and large fines. We pay for these dog wardens so lets see a bit more pay back and catch a few hit them with a 200 pound fine and publish the names once a week. Not so funny then and I am sure it would work wonders.
tax payer.
Don’t blame the dog, it’s the owner. best cure for letting a dog repeatedly mess and leaving it, is to rub the owner’s nose in it!
That would work better than any current legislation.
And all good owners should/do get there dog wormed, 3 months and thens there’s no risk of Roundworm etc staying in the ground.
As a dog owner I:
1. have him wormed/de-fled.
2. Insurance.
3. No messing on pavements.
4. Not let him run on pavements off lead.
Nice one Jack Henry. I like a man with the info at his finger tips. I went on that site and it was informative, I know some people think of a figure and double it.
£2000 seemed a bit high to me even though it would never be used, like most max fines or penalties they are hardly ever dished out as it would seem unfair to the offenders. Do you remember when a Life sentence was life not 10 or 12 years for murder.
For the warring factions re this post, please go to the following web site:
http://www.iwight.com/living_here/environment/environmental_health/Environmental_Protection/Dog_Wardens/
Simplistically set out facts, clear and concise.
jack henry.
1st April! Appropriate day for discussing this topic don’t you think?
Once again a post on this forum descends into facile argumentative comments.
The following Quote is from Direct.gov.uk web site relating to the matter of Dog Fouling.
Penalties
People who do not clean up after their dog can be given a £50 on-the-spot fine. If they refuse to pay the fine, they can be prosecuted and may face a court appearance with a maximum penalty of £1,000. Registered blind dog owners are exempt from penalties.
Toxocara canis
Toxocara canis is a roundworm found in dogs. Roundworm eggs are found in dog mess, which can easily be picked up by young children. This causes stomach upsets, sore throats, asthma and in rare cases blindness. The eggs can remain active in the soil for many years, long after the dog mess has weathered away.
Advice for dog owners
If your dog fouls in a public place, you must clean up the mess under the Dog Act 1996. Always carry a poop scoop, which is a specially designed plastic shovel, or a bag to carry the mess to a dog bin. If there isn’t a dog mess bin, take it home and dispose of it there.
Dog owners should not allow their pets to foul at random in public areas. Toilet training at puppy stage helps. If possible, you should encourage your dog to use your garden – you can then either bury the mess or flush it down the toilet. Do not put dog mess in green garden waste bags or rubbish bins. End Quote:
If this information is incorrect? Don’t shoot the messenger…Inform http://www.direct.gov.uk
pooper spy
wrong !!!
The maximum fine is a £1000 for both offences of having a dog off a lead and for failing to remove dog fouling.
Many thanks posters for again highlighting this recurrent and unpleasant problem. The local E.N.O. and Dog Warden service are regularly contacted by myself identifying hotspots of dog fouling within Northwood.
Between them they have patrolled these areas more frequently and in several cases reported to me, identified dog owners who were possibly going to leave mess until the sight of these Council employees “reminded” them of their responsibilities.
I will again report this problem, mentioning in particular the Uplands Road areas and ask for more patrols in the area. By the way, the max. fine is now a mind-blowing £2,000 and I do agree with others that fining these unsocial owners a hefty sum would do wonders for cleaner streets!
Best wishes, Roger Mazillius
The maximum fine is £1000!!!!!……..dish some of those out. And £100 for being ‘off the lead’ !!!!!. Skinner
My friend an elderly gent, told me the other day that he is now to embarrassed to walk his dog in the park as its so filthy and fears that although he has and always will “pick up” he gets anti dog looks from mainly young parents that make him feel threatened.
I think you are correct that the majority are good dog owners and its these lazy and thoroughly thoughtless few that give all dog owners bad press. Come on councilors use your powers and get the warden in and around the village, a few dozen well placed £60 fines will take the smile off a few faces.
There exists a post grandly titled: ENO ie. Environment & Neighbourhood Officer.
What their actual duties are I not sure? But suspect some where in the list is Dog Warden.
All enquiries to IOW Council Switchboard because her number, yes I know its a female in post in this area, is not available.
Pooper Spy
I see there are signs in Northwood Cemetery stating that for a dog ‘off the lead’ is a £100 fine and for ‘dog fouling’ a £1000 fine. Who can ‘and will’ administer these penalties ? I know dog wardens do exist, but where are they and when are we likely to see one……more the point…….when will we see one ‘in action’ ? !!! Withyskinner
As a dog owner I agree with you.
The reality is that most of us dog owners do pick up!
But we all get tarred with the same brush by some, and I can understand why.
We know most dog fouling is done at night or early morning and not seen by residents.
I have never understood how some people can allow their dog off the lead to walk behind them and never bother to look to see if they have actually carried out the body function they are out to achieve.
The other day I saw a guy running and his dog was off the lead jumping gardens, great dog owner, I’m sure he was more concerned with doing his mile than our gardens.
Fines are the only answer to these people its a bit like speed cameras and the moaners that complain they have been caught speeding, tough. We have a costly dog warden system in place lets use it to good effect. A recent bylaw was passed keeping dogs on leads on highways, yeah I know it was like mobile phones and driving never going to be enforced.
Just a thought those that own cats also cause fouling problems, and many are not dog lovers so shout the loudest. I personally know of one cat owner that has 5 or 6 and I would hate to live next door to that lot.
Scoop the poop.