FIFE CHILDREN are regularly having to dodge dog dirt on their daily walk to school.
One mother said youngsters were running the gauntlet to avoid stepping in the mess and trailing it into homes and classrooms.
Amid fears for her children’s health, the mum of four called for hard-hitting adverts similar in style to the anti-drink driving message to persuade people to clean up after their pets.
The Methil woman, who asked not to be named in case she was targeted by angry dog owners, said she regularly complained to Fife Council about the mess on the streets.
She has also tackled people directly after witnessing them failing to clean up their dogs’ mess but has been subjected to abuse.
The woman, who has the support of local councillor Jim Young, branded the situation “horrendous”.
“It’s really bad, especially when it’s near a school,” she said. “You’d think people would know better than that.
“We play a new game on the way to school called dodge the dog poo and thankfully we’re getting quite good at it now.”
She added: “When we go out with the bike and the scooter, nine times out of 10 we come back with it on the wheels.
“There seems to be a lot of younger people with dogs now and they just don’t care.”
Children can develop a rare but serious condition called toxicariasis if they come into contact with dog mess then rub their eyes.
Symptoms include fever, wheezing, skin rash and loss of vision.
“I don’t think people realise the dangers if a child gets it on their hands or in their eyes. It’s frightening,” said the mother.
“The adverts for drink driving are brilliant and hit the spot.
“I think they should do the same with dog dirt.”
Councillor Young said he regularly received complaints from local people about dog mess.
“It’s not all dog owners,” he said.
“The majority are responsible but there are the irresponsible few who fail to clean up after their pets.
“It’s about time we did something about it and hopefully following the new council budget there will be some development of the dog warden section.”
cwarrender@thecourier.co.uk