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Dogs Trust and Flintshire County Council team up to tackle doggy doo

Published: 31/08/2016

It’s a fact; Britain is a nation of dog lovers, with over eight million dogs in the UK. However, with that many pooches it’s no surprise that dog poo has topped the list of the nation’s biggest bugbears, more than smoking, littering and pollution. To try and tackle the issue, Dogs Trust has joined forces with a number of local authorities nationwide, including Flintshire County Council to encourage local dog owners to pick up after their dog. The charity has launched an installation in Wepre Park, Connah’s Quay featuring catchy “love lines” slogans on posters, a bag dispenser, floor stencils and bin stickers. This is intended to encourage dog owners to pick up after their dogs and to remind them that ‘any bin will do’ when getting rid of doggy doo. The installations, one of only eight in the UK, arrived in Wepre Park after a recent survey by Dogs Trust – the UK’s largest dog welfare charity – found that 62% of people have witnessed someone failing to pick up after their pooch, whilst a third of those polled were too polite to call the offender out on their foul play. What’s more, 50% of people admitted to having their days ruined by an unwanted encounter with dog mess. Dogs Trust hopes the installations will make it easier for the public to point dog-owners to free poo bags, encouraging them to pick up after their pooches. Alex Jackson, Head of Campaigns at Dogs Trust says: “Dog poo is one of the biggest complaints received by local authorities every year. Last year alone local authorities in the UK received more than 81,000 complaints from the public, which is why we are pleased to be working with them to make everyone aware of how simple disposing of dog mess can be. “Failing to pick up after your dog gives other dogs and their owners a bad name, and, whilst it is a small minority who don’t scoop their dogs poop, we are hoping The Big Scoop, Dogs Trust nationwide poop campaign, will remind everyone to help keep their local area dog poo free, prompt other owners to pick up dog mess and dispose of it in any public bin. We are really grateful to Flintshire County Council for helping Dogs Trust in our mission to make Flintshire poop-free.” Flintshire County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Bernie Attridge, said: “Flintshire is pleased to be working with Dogs Trust on The Big Scoop campaign. We are working hard deal with environmental issues such as dog fouling and littering, including the introduction of a 12 month pilot scheme with an external partner to help us with enforcing these issues. I hope that this campaign will encourage all dog owners to pick up after their dog and put it in any public bin. However, both the council and Dogs Trust hope the message resonates with dog owners throughout the year as they can be fined if they fail to pick up after their dog.” Back from the left: Mark Rees - FCC Enforcement Officer, Alistair Hemphill - FCC Countryside Ranger, Cllr Bernie Attridge, Richard Blake - FCC Streetscene Manager, Cllr Ian Smith and Cllr Ian Dunbar - Connahs Quay South Front from left: Bethan Richardson - Dogs Trust NW Education and Community Officer with Flo the Lurcher, Malcolm Stagg - Dogs Trust Campaigns Officer Wales and Siân Edwards - Dogs Trust Campaign Manager Wales with Maggie the Miniature Pinscher