The Gold Coast’s dog population is booming, but so are complaints for leaving dog poop bags on private property

As our pup-ulation soars to record levels, complaints show dog owners still have a lot of work to doo-doo. SEE THE COMPLAINTS >>

It’s the pup-ulation boom that’s putting the poo in pooch.

City of Gold Coast figures show the pandemic pet surge has reached record levels with an estimated 100,000 dogs now calling the Coast home.

Even on my own little street I can count three new canine neighbours with the total number of fur babies now outnumbering our actual children.

And that’s great. I love dogs.

As actor Bill Murray once said: “I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs, but I trust a dog who doesn’t like a person.”

"Clean up after your pets" sign at the park. Picture: iStock

But there’s a darker side to dog ownership that’s giving many residents cause for paws.

While the council is rightly concerned about dog registration (it’s due by August 31, by the way), and residents request more off-leash dog parks and beaches, we need to show we’re responsible owners first.

And judging by the commentary on community social media, we’ve got a lot more work to doo-doo.

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Just as the number of dogs is soaring, so too it seems are their special deposits.

In the last week alone I’ve seen a number of defecation diatribes on our neighbourhood pages.

“Does anyone know what I can do about this? Some ridiculous person has been leaving their dog poop bags in my hedge for months,” one person wrote, in what can only be described as a s*** post.

“I’ve contacted council and they’ve said there is nothing they can do about it because it’s private property. I have video footage of them doing it but I don’t know who they are so I can’t approach them!

“I can’t believe I’m posting this but I came back after a few days away and it’s gotten so much worse!”

Ann Wason-Moore says she has seen the number of defecation diatribes increase on neighbourhood pages. Picture: istock

This was accompanied by video footage of a hedge studded with bags of scooped excrement.

I mean, at least the owner was picking up what their dog was putting down … but why go to all the effort of bringing the bag, filling it, tying it up - and then very purposefully decorating someone’s hedge?

And this poor hedge owner is far from the only one when it comes to number two offences.

Indeed, another posted security camera footage of a specific faecal felon.

“If anyone near the Nobby shops or surrounding streets knows this person, please ask her to pick up her dog s***. This happened at 5.47am today, security cameras caught her looking around to see if anyone was looking and just ran off.”

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I just can’t imagine being such a stool tool.

Of course, we’re fortunate that our dog, Sparky, is what the vet has termed a ‘shy pooper’. He’s the literal opposite of a NIMBY as he will only go in my back yard … I guess that makes him a PIMBY.

It’s a welcome relief from our old dog who once left a special deposit on someone’s towel at the beach.

But rather than dump and run, we flicked off the offending faeces and even left a note to the owner of the towel.

I only wish we had stayed to see his face when he read our message:

“Dear towel owner, we are very sorry but our dog crapped on your towel. Please do not use.”

Now that’s how to be a good neighbour.

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Yet as our population continues to soar, we can only expect more delinquent dogs on our streets.

This poor poo behaviour is all the more disappointing given that the council is trying to come to the canine party.

In response to the hike in hound numbers, the City of Gold Coast invested more than $500,000 in the 2021-22 annual budget toward dog facilities and services, and is in the process of establishing 11 new off-leash areas while upgrading seven others.

So it’s time we take the lead … let’s get these turds off our streets and into the bin where they belong.

I’m confident we can change our crap behaviour. After all, who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?