Nottinghamshire council have put dog bans in place in 72 of their parks due to an increase in the number of cases of dog fouling. Irresponsible dog owners are to blame for the out right ban which means every dog and their owners will suffer. People will have to drive to alternative locations to allow their dogs to exercise properly is this what we want to encourage at a time of concern over global warming and the excessive use of fuels and car congestion?
I agree that something needs to be done but this is a total over reaction, something which old fashioned councils can be very good at. This is why I applauded Conwy Council for their forward thinking on tackling the dog fouling problem, by providing their residents with a cure not beating them down with more rules. They chose to spend their money not on more dog bins but on Dicky Bags so that people are always prepared to pick up after their dog and able to transport it to a suitable bin or even back to their homes. Unfortunately it looks like Newark and Sherwood District council are still stuck in the dark ages! I pitty the the poor dog owners that live there.
Cornwall are another council that will be introducing tougher laws and punishments with regard to clearing up dog mess but they again are hoping to do it in conjuction with a positive action of offering Dicky Bags.
Education is a big factor in changing peoples attitudes so it's about time we told people about the health and ecological risks involved in leaving dog poo to bio degrade and perhaps they will think a bit differently about clearing up - stepping in it isn't the biggest problem!
