Dog Fouling
Everybody knows the inconvenience it causes.
This page offers advice on how you - as a responsible dog owner - can help reduce the amount of dog fouling on our streets, in our parks and on our beaches, and how to dispose of it properly.
Responsible Dog Ownership
Responsible dog ownership is not just about ensuring your dog is well fed and looked after.
Good health care and training is also important.
Is your dog still a puppy? It may be possible to train it to only go to the toilet in your own garden. This is still possible when the dog is older, but far more difficult.
If you can train your dog to go in your garden, it may be worth trying to encourage him to use the same spot each time. You can then bury the "poop" or bag it and bin it.
If you do not have a garden and your dog is small enough, why not train it to use a litter tray. The "poop" can then be disposed of using a plastic bag. (Remember to always wash your hands afterwards).
Out and about
If your dog needs to go whilst being walked, remember bag it and bin it.
A few simple rules will help make things easier:
1. Always carry a plastic bag when taking your dog for a walk. This can be used to carry the "poop" until a bin can be found. Bags are available from the Town Hall for a small charge.
2. "Poop scoops" can be purchased from your local pet shops and certain supermarkets. Again, these can be used in conjunction with a plastic bag.
3. Place the filled bag in one of the specially designed Dog Waste Bins (easily recognisable by its red colouring). If you can't find one, take the bag home and dispose of it with your household rubbish.
4. Always remember to wash your hands afterwards!
Health Issues
Dog fouling can cause many problems, the most serious of which is infection with Toxocara canis. This is a roundworm which can be transferred to humans following contact with dog mess. Symptoms are aches and pains, bronchial conditions and in more severe cases can lead to damage to eyesight.
Although the risk to human health is small, you can reduce it further by:
- worming your dog on a regular basis;
- always clearing up after your dog;
- good hygiene practice.
Unfortunately, worms can affect your dog at any age. Responsible ownership also means you are responsible for the health care for your dog and this will include having your dog wormed regularly.
Worms can cause sickness and diarrhoea in young dogs but symptoms in older dogs may be impossible to see.
Preventative measures are relatively cheap and easy. You can buy worming treatments in various forms from vets, pet shops and certain larger supermarkets. It is then a simple, although important, matter of following the manufacturer's instructions.
Adult dogs should be wormed at least every 6 months, although pregnant bitches and bitches with young puppies should be treated on a more frequent basis. Before treating puppies, consult your vet.
Poop scooping and the law
Local Councils can make laws to control dog fouling in their areas.
Gosport Borough Council has introduced The Gosport Dogs (Fouling of Land) Order 1997. This makes it an offence for the person in charge of a dog not to clear up after it has fouled. The maximum penalty on conviction is currently £1000 or, as an alternative, the offender may be offered the option of paying a fixed penalty which currently stands at £25.
What are we doing to help?
Having introduced The Gosport Dogs (Fouling of Land) Order 1997, Gosport Borough Council is dedicated to reducing the problem of dog fouling within the Borough.
We have now installed over 200 specially designed bright red Dog Waste Bins across Gosport solely for the disposal of dog waste.
We have a team of area inspectors regularly patrolling Gosport on the look out for offenders.
For further information contact:
For further information please call 0800 019 8598 during office hours or call at the Town Hall, High Street, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 1EB. Email: streetscene@gosport.gov.uk
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