COUNTY DONEGAL, Ireland: Aahh, the beach - warm water lapping at your feet, pearly white sand between your toes... Nothing beats an afternoon under the sun, sipping piña colada, soaking up the rays, reveling in the view, smelling the salty sea breeze and the... dog poop?
Due to concerns over the rising incidence of canine excrement fouling popular tourist areas, dog owners at a number of beaches in County Donegal are to be given free canine-poop scoops. According to the BBC, the poop scoops will be handed out by staff at selected beaches and other distribution points.
"It's a serious issue. We had a child in Derry City for example a few years back lost the sight in one eye because of dog poo," said Buncrana councilor Padraig McLaughlin. "While it appears to be quite a trivial matter, it is quite serious."
A recent survey conducted by Keep Britain Tidy showed that public opinion considers canine feces left in parks and streets by careless pet owners as a major environmental crime. According to K9 Magazine, public opinion holds it as 'totally unacceptable not to clean up your dog's mess.' Dog doo-doo has also been assigned as a top priority for councils to deal with, compared to other environmental problems such as litter or graffiti.
"Leaving your dog mess on the streets and in parks for others to endure is not acceptable," said Ian Clayton, deputy chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy told K9 Magazine. "There is no excuse for not being a responsible owner, everyone should pick up after their pooch."
According to official figures, the incidence of dog poop left in public areas in the UK has increased by two per cent in the last twelve months. Problem areas include public spaces such as parks and recreational fields where children play. Keep Britain Tidy advocates responsible pet ownership, including educating children about the importance of cleaning up their dog's mess.
British councils are also starting to employ new tactics to help curb the thoughtless disposal of smelly dog excrement. According to EnCams these include spraying the said piles of canine doodoo with yellow paint, or sticking a flag in it to raise public awareness and make it harder to ignore. Some have even banned dogs from particular areas and ordered dog owners to keep their pets on a leash.
Exposure to dog poop can cause toxocariasis, an infection caused by dog or cat roundworm. One type of toxocariasis, ocular larva migrans (OLM) can eventually lead to blindness.
The poop scoop plan for County Donegal's selected beaches will run until the end of the main tourism season. The beaches included in the trial are: Lisfannon, Fintra, Rossnowlagh, Murvagh, Narin, Marble Hill and Kilhoey.
people who leave their dog droppings everywhere are disgusting. There is nothing more annoying than stepping in a frsh deposit when you are wearing good shoes.
i agree. has anyone got a good way of getting the smell out of shoes in that situation. It's so embarrassing when you get to work and you smell like that. People who don't clean up after their dogs should have to do community service or something
Look, I hate dog poop as much as the next guy, but it's not always possible or convenient to clean it up at the time. anyway, animal scats are natural. they have been around as long as lifeforms have walked the earth. what's the problem with a couple of droppings here or there?
disgusting. if you own a dog you take responsibility. how hard is it to carry a plastic bag in your pocket when you go for a walk to carry the poo when your dog needs to relieve itself?
hey, what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger, right?
that's right tanya - why should other people suffer for someone's laziness. It's not like we're asking owners to do something unreasonable. If it's your dog it's your mess
i wonder if the dog poop problem is worse in the UK than it is here?
how in the world did a kid lose an eye with dog poo? whadhedo, ground the poo into his eye?