Mary's Blog

Call it what you like, but I call it “dog dirt”. I am tired of being PC.

How I wish that when I was out walking, as I was this afternoon in Anlaby and Willerby, that I didn’t have to dodge dog dirt – sounds like a new video game.  Some people have the nerve to surreptitiously hide it in hedgerows when they think nobody is looking – so they think. Or creep around and stuff it under shrubs at night when they think nobody is around.

Seriously, to be told by a group walking leader that “You cannot go down that snicket this afternoon because it is caked in dog dirt” is extremely irritating.

You shouldn’t have to be staring at the ground…. hopping this way and that just because you want to go for a simple walk! I want to admire the scenery!

Toxocara Canis (roundworm) in a puppies gut

Do dog owners realise that they risk spreading disease? A single gram of dog dirt can contain over 20 million fecal bacteria including Toxocara Canis (roundworm) and E. coli, which can cause intestinal illnesses in humans and can be fatal in puppies. Dog droppings are one of the leading sources of E. Coli  (fecal coliforms) bacterial pollution in this country.

Dog owners who take their pet for walks in the countryside behave in the same way too. How many times have I crossed a muddy field filled with dog poo! Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs. It’s not their fault, well not entirely…

I was extremely happy to see Leeds County Council take the bull by the horns and start discussions about measures to restrict selfish dog walkers from certain areas. It goes without saying that I have reported the “offending” snicket to East Riding Council as it is one used by children attending local primary school.

Dog owners should be forced to carry a ‘pooper-scooper‘ and carry it home as they do in other countries or risk losing their license.