Yuk! 96% of us have trodden in dog mess. But there are many more reasons to clear up after your dog
Jun
12
Dog fouling on the rise nationally for the first time in ten years. The UK’s largest dog welfare charity Dogs Trust has teamed up with Keep Britain Tidy to launch the first-ever "Big Scoop" event on June 14th.
"As the dog population sits at approximately 8 million and is only set to grow so too is the problem with dog mess. For the first time in ten years a rise in dog fouling has been reported* and with 64% of people considering it to be the most offensive litter item, something needs to be done to tackle the problem. As such Dogs Trust and Keep Britain Tidy have teamed up with celebrity campaigner and dog owner Ben Fogle to urge people to not only collect their dog’s mess but dispose of it properly too.
Says Ben Fogle, celebrity supporter of The Big Scoop, launching on 14th June:
"Thousands of pounds are spent each year on ensuring public spaces are kept clean and this could all be so much easier if dog owners remembered the simple message to ‘Bag it, Bin it.’ Sadly it’s becoming a recurring sight to see bags of dog mess hanging from tree branches, fences, gates, basically anywhere but in a bin. It’s a two step process and one which all dog owners need to be on board with. After all we all know that the Dog Poo Fairy doesn’t exist!"
As a national campaign The Big Scoop will engage with children, councils and park wardens to raise awareness of the importance of responsible dog ownership. Children will be asked to show their support and don specially designed capes transforming them into Scooper Heroes and councils will be supplied with free poo bags and literature on the issue.
*Reported in the Local Environmental Quality Survey of England carried out by Keep Britain Tidy between April 2011-March 2012."
- "Dogs Trust carried out a survey on the issue of dog fouling in which 4,308 respondents replied between 23rd April and 13th May 2013.
- 96% of us having trodden in dog mess
- Nearly 30% of respondents would pick up another dog’s mess
- One in three of respondents would pick up another dog’s mess and 60% would point out the left behind mess to the dog owner."
For more information, go to: http://www.dogstrust.org.uk.
OutdoorsWest has more information on why it is so important to clear up dogs mess, including tackling diseases in farm animals and wildlife .