why is it that dog owners will not keep there dogs off beaches? cannot children every have fouling free areas?

Question

every open area i.e. play areas, football fields, parks and beaches are never free of dogs fouling, ive had five dogs and always took them to places away from where children play, im fed up of clearing up other peoples dogs pooh so children can run and roll around without stepping in it, why do dog owners think that every area is there right to let there dogs foul and not even clear it up, they think even the cover of darkness or early morning gives them the right not to clear it up. why doesnt the council do more, not just threats on post and never do a thing? if they were charged on the spot, maybe they would have a little more respect for the area of young lads playing football, young children rolling around on the ground and all of us on the beach ! I think the council could do more and would love to know why they dont do more about dog fouling?

Answer 1

Hey, don't tar all owners with the same brush! I always pick up my dog's poo! Without fail! Also, it would be extremely rare for him to poo or even pee in such an area, as he is trained to toilet on command, and we do this at home, before we go anywhere, and if it become necessary while out, I take him to a patch of grass or rough ground (never the middle of the football field) and I pick it up! I am really sad that dogs are excluded from beaches etc, because it is irresponsible owners that punish us all. We should be able to go to the beach in the summer. Our dogs are part of the family, and if the dogs can't go to the beach, neither can we. I am annoyed by people who don't scoop because I am a wheelchair user and if I run through some poo, it ends up on my rims, and on my hands, which is horrible. I have to carry bleach wipes all the time because of this.

There are a great many things that could be done to punish the bad apples. I have seen beaches in the south where dogs are allowed year round, but if you have a dog then you must pay for bags and a scoop on entering the beach, and promise to use them, or you cannot use the beach. This works well. In London (and increasingly in other areas) they have plain clothes inspectors handing out on the spot fines. More poo bins I think would also help, as while I am happy to carry a bag of poo for up to six miles to find a bin, others are less patient and more bins would help the problem. This is the case throughout most of Germany- there are bins at regular intervals and they are well used. I also think that there would be merit in only allowing dogs who have passed the KC Good Citizen awards in parks and on beaches. Pooper scooping is part of the test, and owners who take the trouble to put their dogs through the training are going to be responsible about cleaning up. Their dogs will also be well-behaved. The fines for dog fowling vary tremendously, from £50 to £1000. It needs to be standardised, and enforced. An on the spot fine of £100 would be far better than an empty threat of £1000, which would probably end up going to court anyway (thus costing more than the fine). Maybe people could have a percentage increase on their council tax if caught in the act?

Most places like playgrounds ban dogs from entering. If the kind of people walking aren't going to respect this sign, why would they pick up? I think you would get better results letting dogs in but making sure people know about the fines and consequences- and there would be other dog walkers in there to give the offenders a hard time. You know, I went to the Wag and Bone Show the first year it ran, and there were literally thousands of dogs there. They employed a special scoop team, and they did nothing all day. Everyone, without fail, picked up after their dog. Everyone. So don't think we are all bad, please.

You also have to remember that in places like towns, football fields etc, there is a requirement, punishable with a fine, to clean up. In other places, like some public footpaths, there is no such law- people simply do not have to pick up. They should, but they don't have to.

One tactic emplyed by councils I really hate is the scare tactic 'Danger! Toxocara canis disease carried by dogs can cause blindness in children! No dogs allowed!" This is counterproductive. Dog owners know that this is not only a false statement, but one which encourages fear of dogs. For a start, Toxocara is not a disease, it is a parasite. I have heard all kinds of rubbish from people about 'what if the kids get some int their eyes? they'll go blind!' No no no. That is not how it works. Toxocara is a worm, rather uncommon in dogs that are regularly wormed. It must be eaten, and then the childs symptoms of illness must be ignored for a long time before there is any consequence. Toxocara is very common in foxes, who will not respect the signs, and certainly will not scoop. So this tactic has no effect on dog owners, and only serves to frighten and mislead non dog owners. And you know what, you can never, ever, walk your dogs away from where children play. It isn't possible. Children, as well they should, play everywhere. Half the children I see in parks and fields where I live are out WALKING DOGS.

I have to say that dogs are not the only offenders. Children have kicked, thrown rocks at my dogs and me, thrown sticks, ridden around and around us on mopeds because they saw that my dogs were frightened, shot at them with water pistols, scaring them, one little girl's mother asked if she could stroke my goldie. I foolishly said yes, and the girl (about 5 or 6) tore out a handful of my dog's fur, at which the mother laughed. Never have any of my dogs reacted in anger. There is kiddies sweet litter all over my local park, drinks bottles, broken glass in the street which bursts my tyres and once a piece stuck in my tyre, and then came around and slashed my wrist, meaning I needed 14 stitches. I don't infer that this means that all children or indeed all people are a menace. Or that they should be segregated from us countryside-loving environmentalists that always pick up our litter and our dog poo. Pople who don't pick up should be 'outed' but people who do should not be excluded from enjoying family life because of a few bad apples.

Answer 2

I agree that dog owners should be responsible and should not exercise dogs on playing fields etc. I agree they should not go on some beaches and a lot of beaches do ban dogs, but are you not going a bit over the top just saying beaches? Are you really saying that they should be banned from all beaches?

There is a big difference between asking dog owners and councils to be more responsible and seeking to ban a section of society from all beaches.

If you ban dogs from all beaches perhaps old people will call for children to be kept off beaches to stop the noise and sand being sent flying around.!

You wont get dog owners to do anything if you show total intolerance.

Answer 3

If there's no signs prohibiting dogs from being there, then stop whining about people bringing their dogs there. Dog owners have just as much of right to bring their dogs there, as you have the right to bring your kids there. Sure, dogs crap on the ground, just like kids eat candy and junk food and soda and leave the wrappers and empty cans littered all over the place. I've seen garbage all along the beach FAR WORSE than a couple piles of dog crap here and there. I could make the SAME exact arguement about people not cleaning up after their kids in public parks, play areas, beaches, camping grounds, etc..

Answer 4

i agree, being a dog owner a having two toddlers. I always clean up after my dog. But there are some owners, usually the ones who are out to look good, or just plain lazy who don't do this quick easy task.
There have been thoughts about getting licenses to own dogs as in America and having dogs poop dna checked for every dog tha is licensed. So any owner offending by not cleaning up gets tracked down by their own dogs poop and given a hefty fine. It works in theory but many people would find a way to own a dog without a license. The only thing to do is to contact your local council when you find an offending mess as the register every call about fouling, especially if it is a problem area. If you can get together someother like-minded dog owners to keep an eye out for the offenders they are more likely to be caught.
In our area any of our neighbours are adamant about cleaning up after our dogs. We have caught numerous people not cleaning up and report them. This has stopped the majority of the problem, but you still get the odd one every now and again. It's just something we can't escape from.

Answer 5

All the council can do is to put up clear notices and, perhaps, conduct the occasional checks. It is up to you as a user of the facilities to tell the authorities about any infringements. They can do nothing, however, without some evidence.

Rid yourself of the attitude that 'you pay your rates, so the Council should do more'. Try to understand how the system works and is intended to work and don't waste your anger because your idea of a system doesn't match reality.

Go and talk about it with your local councillor to find out how the system works and how he/she feels it is working. When you are using the areas concerned, notice what dog owners are using it as well and, perhaps, exchange a friendly word with them (they will very likely be the ones with a handful of plastic bags in their pockets, anyway).

There are a lot of things that we feel 'people should do'. Unfortunately, people rarely match up to our expectations and it is useless getting hot under the collar about it unless you are prepared to make an effort to do something practical and positive about it yourself.

Answer 6

How ridiculous to tar all dog owners with the same brush and how naive to claim you know what dog owners think! if you have had 5 dogs you really should know it is a small minority who do not clear up after their pets. As for beaches, in the area where I live dogs are not allowed on the beach between May and October, this is enforced by frequent patrols of dog wardens. I brought up 3 sons and have seen an enormous improvement in the provision of "poo bins" and the cleanliness of areas used by children. Now living alone my dog is a source of real joy to me, she has helped me in ways only dog lovers (not all dog owners are dog lovers) will understand.

Answer 7

I'm a dog owner and a parent. Inconsiderate people leave broken glass, metal and dog turds in public. They also leave used syringes, rotting food, used nappies, used sanitary towels and underwear and condoms and god only knows what else.
Some people are inconsiderate in public and misuse public resources. Idiots vandalise the waste bins that are provided for dog muck and we end up lugging it home in a nappy sack.
Personally I prefer the solution that makes some places open to dogs and some banned to dogs. Dogs have no place in a toddlers playground or on the football pitch at the park.

Answer 8

Maybe, just maybe these owner that are being dragged across the beaches are not aware of the rules that are held for these dog owners so instead of complaining about what they aren't doing down at city hall maybe YOU should take pictures of dogs while in action and then ask these people that YOU voted into office...WHY and HOW COME.. nothing is being done about this shitty problem

Answer 9

my friend sometimes walks her dogs on the beach but away from kids and they have never fowled there at all and she all ways cleans up after the ones who do. the council do try but how can they punish bad owners when no one catches them and knows who they are, they have also up up a lot of doggy bins. if your so concerned why don't you become a local poorer scooper and solve the problem.
not all dog owners are like that!

Answer 10

I bet you feel better for getting that off your chest!

Dog owners, like shop assistants or surgeons, are made up of a cross-section of humanity and we are all different.

I own several dogs.

I clean up after them.

I don't take them where they are not allowed.

They are wormed, insured, neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, wear collars with my name & address on their discs, kept on leads according to the bye-laws, under control when off-lead, not allowed to worry livestock etc. etc.

Yes I agree with you - there are irresponsible dog owners who don't clean up and sneak out under cover of darkness so no-one will see them but we aren't all like that and I dislike being grouped together with them as 'dog owners'.

Do you park inconsiderately, cut people up, overtake dangerously, exceed the speed limits, have an excessively loud in-car music system, use your mobile while driving etc. because you drive a car?

Answer 11

It is a good expirience for the dog to be in a public place. And fouling should be cleaned by the owner, I agree. But dont go off your rocker! dogs are allowed to be there