Dog foul fine plan (From Stroud News and Journal)

Dog foul fine plan

CIVIC leaders are trying to stamp out dog mess in Stroud. Stroud Town Council's finance and policy committee met last week and councillors kicked up a stink about dog fouling in the area.

"We don't have a policy on dog fouling at the moment," said town clerk Sue Creswick.

"We just disapprove of it."

Cllr Kevin Cranston, chairman of the committee, said letting dogs foul the streets was an obnoxious and offensive habit and claimed more regular enforcement of fines might make people think twice before leaving dog mess on the pavements.

"If I had to pay out £175 it would make me 'paws'," he said.

"But some dog owners have a fundamental objection to handling dog mess."

He appealed to the public to contact Stroud District Council's dog warden on 01453 766321 if they spotted anyone failing to tidy up after their dog.

Cllr Mike Williams said he had often experienced trouble with dog foulers near his Uplands home.

"It's fair to say that 50 per cent of dog owners don't give a 'monkeys' and they're giving the other 50 per cent a bad name," he said.

"It's not like it's all little poodles either - some of these dogs turn out a massive amount."

"If you confront people about it they sometimes get quite violent about it."

Dog owner Cllr David Guinness said he could not understand why people left their dogs' dirt where it fell - it was a simple matter to pick it up in a plastic bag and take it to the nearest dog bin, he claimed.

"I never take my dogs out without a supply of plastic bags," he said.

Councillors accepted dog fouling had dropped off since the foot and mouth crisis when people seemed to have learned to be more responsible but agreed there was still a problem.

The committee agreed to monitor the situation in Stroud's parks and streets and said it would ask council staff to do the same.

* Councillors asked dog owner to tidy up after their pets and always carry a supply of plastic bags with them when walking their dogs. Anyone who would like to suggest a spot where a new dog mess bin could be installed in the town is invited to pass on their ideas to the council by calling 01453 762817.