The dog poo that drove a guy to extreme lengths
DECENT citizens are being frustrated by irresponsible dog owners who can’t be stuffed to clean up after their pooch, writes Kylie Lang. Now a dog walker has been caught in the act.
Rendezview
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rendezview. Followed categories will be added to My News.
HOW far would you go to stop dog walkers letting their animals dump and run?
Precisely how many poos would you have to scoop up or step in before you snapped?
Browned-off Brisbane resident David Deaned has installed cameras out the front of his Ascot home in a bid to nab a culprit he says never cleans up after his pooch so “day after day we have to pick up the mess”.
Deaned says visitors to his home have accidentally tramped dog poo all through it and he would “love to have a little chat” with the alleged offender, captured on video wearing a red T-shirt and blue shorts, and with zero care factor about his defecating black dog.
A frustrated Deaned has posted the footage on Facebook, in a name-and-shame attempt that has received mixed responses.
“Installing a CCT camera to watch whose dog poops near your house? Why not a satellite?” commented one local.
“Print out these photos on large A3, laminate and stick a few on posts on your footpath with the caption, ‘is this you?’ and below [put] the rules,” wrote another.
Failing to pick up dog droppings is an offence that carries a $252 fine from the Brisbane City Council. Get caught without a bag on you and you’re looking at $63.
Elsewhere, it’s even higher. One Melbourne council this year has increased fees to $500 and $200 respectively.
Too extreme? These fines exceed what you’d get pinged for a parking offence or an illegal U-turn, and the latter is arguably a greater threat to public safety. But keeping neighbourhoods clean and tidy, and amenable for all who use them, shouldn’t be optional.
People have a responsibility to do their bit and those who can’t be stuffed should be held to account.
It’s the same with littering, or tossing cigarette butts on the ground. It’s just not on.
Ever tried to get dog poo off the carpet once it’s been ground in by the weight of an adult?
Had any luck disguising the “eau de chien” wafting through the house?
Neither is easy or pleasant.
If you are a dog owner, you know at least one thing: your pooch needs to be fed.
You also know that what’s left of that food, after nutrients are absorbed, needs to be expelled.
Here’s a news flash: both are your responsibility.
Other people’s lawns and public footpaths are not like portaloos where men in high-vis suits magically appear and remove all evidence once the party’s over.
Your dog. Your poo. Clean it up.
If a sense of civic duty doesn’t motivate you, then consider the exercise you could be getting by doing the right thing.
I like the sign someone stuck on a gatepost in a village in Cambridgeshire, England, recently. Not surprisingly, a photo of it ended up on social media.
“Want to start yoga? Start by bending over and picking up your dog poo — known as the downward dog position — then put it in a bin.”
For the latest from RendezView, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Originally published as The dog poo that drove a guy to extreme lengths