The mornings get light later. The nights come in earlier. It’s a sign that Christmas is approaching. It is also the time when dogs leave presents that their owners don’t clean up because they think they can get away with it in the dark. It is the time of year we end up walking on unwelcome presents because its dark.
Of course, dog poo is not just for Christmas. In this town dog poo seems to be for life.
There are appalling habits. Poo in the middle of pavements. Poo in people’s drives. On verges. Children’s play areas where dogs are not allowed. Linney Park. Poo right next to waste bins.
When poo is bagged up, it is too often dropped nearby. Put on benches where people eat. Even hung off trees like some sort of horrific Christmas bauble. Who do they think clears this mess up, the poo fairies?
Most people with dogs are responsible. It is time to target the minority of owners who are not. We aim to put up 100 posters around the town.
This is a much delayed campaign. Initially for personal reasons, then the pandemic was the overriding priority. When Shropshire Council’s public health team came up for air and could concentrate on other matters, it provided councillors with posters. I have secured 100 posters and ten bin stickers. I have also purchased enough ties.
These are for the whole town but there are not enough for surrounding areas.
The posters can only be secured to Shropshire Council property, which for simplicity means streetlights. There are 1,036 streetlights in Ludlow (minus the one that was recently demolished in the street I live on). That means that we have one poster for every ten lampposts.
I am asking for people to contact me by email (andy@andybodders.co.uk) to express interest in putting the posters up around the town. I will then work out where we can best place them and arrange for collection. We should target areas with maximum poo.
There is a trend towards recyclable poo bags. That’s fine but unless you have a composting facility that can process dog poo – which is difficult to achieve in a garden safely – dog poo must be treated as waste. In Shropshire, dog poo, not matter what it is wrapped in, cannot go in the green bin. It must go in the black bin for incineration as residual waste.
Dog poo is disgusting. It’s not safe, especially if children come in contact with it.
Our contract with the dogs we own is to clean up the mess they leave behind.
It is time to make Ludlow a Dog Poo Free Town.
I agree dark nights ( and fallen Autumn leaves) can make it difficult for owners to find their pooches poo.
There will always be antisocial owners who give all of us a bad name but the majority do attempt to ‘bag up”.
For winter night walks I can recommend a poop bag holder with a built in torch.
It’s invaluable
Well done Andy!
I photoed a lady allowing her dog to do that on our bottom step and not picking up.
Next time I saw her I challenged her and I believe it won’t happen again, with her dog anyway
There used to be a dogshit warden, but I don’t think so anymore. No-one would be interested in incriminating photos these days I feel
Let me have two posters please, 73 Temeside. Though the dog that performed for me last week did so EXACTLY under my sign on the fence threatening an £80 fine!!