Summer is almost here and there is not much better than going for a long walk with the family at the park.
Until, that is, one of your number – most likely to be a younger one – stands in a pile of dog dirt. Scraping the grooves in trainers with a used ice lolly stick is something that still haunts me from childhood.
What is equally as haunting is the fact people in this day and age still fail to pick up after their pooches – and they continually get away with it.
I’ve seen Rover’s leftovers sitting in a pile just yards from a dog poo bin, and worse still I’ve seen full dog waste bags left hanging from trees and bushes. Why go to the bother of putting it in the bag if you are going to be so brazen?
It’s a disgusting problem all over Fife and people seem incapable of heeding the bag it and bin it message.
The number of fines doled out across the region is miniscule compared to the offences.
Wardens and environmental staff are doing what they can to tackle the problem and snare those flouting the laws but resources mean they cannot be everywhere and rely on tip-offs from the public.
I think it’s high time Fife looked to follow in Spain’s footsteps and stamp out the problem – pardon the pun – once and for all.
Dog owners in some regions of Spain have to register their pet’s DNA by law. Any excrement found on pavements or in parks can be tested and matched through a database.
It seems a bit extreme, but you can bet the fear factor of being hit in the pocket will force dog owners into towing the line.
In Malaga it costs €35 to register a pet in such a way and, it seems, the scheme pays for itself.
Dog mess remains one of life’s great bugbears so why not use scientific advances to address it?
At the very least it might mean that lolly sticks can go back to their intended use.
