Pavement Art

Since Peter Arronsen's recent post on dog fouling signs on pavements, I have been inundated with examples of pavement art from our readers from all around the UK.

The idea appears to have originated from John Wood's tactic of spraying dog faeces bright pink.

I could see why some councils were reluctant to follow his luminous lead - but it now appears that pavement spray painting is the tactic of choice for many local authorities in the UK.

I was walking near to St Johns Railway Station in Lewisham Borough, UK yesterday when I found this beautiful example of street art that easily beats the example found in Crayford.

The clarity and attention to detail is just amazing. You can almost feel the heat emanating from the dogs recently deposited load!

Josephine Cloggs found this one in Dartford Town Centre, Kent. Very similar to that found by Peter in Crayford recently but in much better condition.

After that there was no stopping the spray painted signs coming into our inbox. Staffordshire, Devon, Manchester & Bristol - it appears you have all seen one.

I can't include them all, but you get the message - pick it up, clean it up, bag it up!

All the pictures you have sent me have one thing in common - they use a picture of a dog (obviously!!) to get their message across.

This next example from Glasgow goes away from the classic canine image but still gets the message across beautifully.

Get the message ?

"Foul(ing) Cried On Sir Bobby Charlton

Sir Bobby Charlton was always a gentleman of football (unlike his brother, Jack, who would hoof you in sensitive locations as soon as look at you). Therefore, I cannot imagine Sir Bobby doing anything wrong.

This was not, however, the view of councillors at Y Ferwig near Cardigan in Ceredigion. They linked Sir Bobby's recent advert for Actimel with dog fouling in children's play areas. A Mr Gooch declared there to be a huge problem with dog fouling adding; "If someone spots a dog foul the owner will quickly get a bag out of their pocket, but if there is no-one around they will ignore it."

Now I cannot imagine Sir Bobby standing idly by while his dog curls one out on a football field. Aside of anything else, the game has been his professional life.

The Advertising Standards Authority exonerated Sir Bobby, observing that the dog did not encroach onto the pitch. Well done! Sir Bobby's reputation remains untarnished.

Read the full story here.

Direct Action

At last, direct action by the public! If we cannot trust our elected representatives to act, then the people will!

I was in Crayford today, which neighbours the borough of Bexley. You will remember my post, where I showed the efforts being made by Bexley coucil. Clearly, this is not replicated in neighbouring Dartford.

Therefore, the people have acted and I saw the image below, which had been spray painted onto a pavement.




The people have spoken. There is no sign here about burglary or robbery. Nothing about serious violence. Let the government wake up and listen! "C" is not for "Crime" but rather "Canine Fouling"!

I feel moved by this outpouring of public support for our cause!

Eastern Europe shows the way.

Readers of this blog will by now be acutely aware how dog fouling isn't just a UK problem it's a GLOBAL problem.

From the city gent in New York to the Aboriginal hunter in Australia, from the Eskimo in the Arctic to the English Sunday league footballer, they have all got one thing in common - they have all stood in a dog turd and cursed the very ground these animals walk on.

This blog is littered with the campaigns, the initiatives, the "get tough" stories & the "zero tolerance" approaches that countries from around the world have tried & tried again.

But two countries stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world in their efforts to rid their streets of the steaming menace - Slovenia & Slovakia.

The first example is from Slovakia where dog fouling has progressed from a lowly number 2, to the top of the public polls of things that Slovakian's fear the most.

Their TV adverts put the rest of our feeble efforts to shame.

A few hundred miles away in Slovenia they have a different approach to the problem.

A recent advertising campaign instilled local pride in the cities parks & open spaces and managed to persuade several hundred citizens to meet up on Sundays & collect dog mess in their neighbourhoods.

So successful was the campaign that it won 2 Gold & 1 Silver medal at this years Slovenian Advertising Festival and has now been rolled out across Slovenia.

Now every Sunday you can find families, the young & the old gathering dog shit together with a sense of Slovenian pride.

How do we do this in the UK ?

Excellent Move By Bexley Council.

All visitors to this site will undoubtedly have spent much of their time spotting "dog fouling" signs. This is a good use of time.

Indulging in this meaninful exercise, I was pleased to see that Bexley council has decided to avoid the cost of affixing signs to lamp posts. As the new range of "anti-graffiti" style road signs are rolled out, Bexley council is including a logo as shown below.




Just look at this sign and the impact it has. Eventually, everywhere you walk in Bexley, there will be a visual reminder of the need to "clean it up". I am pleased to see this particular sign on a personal level. I have friends in Barnehurst and would hate to think that they live in a toilet.


Brighton is also coming along. They have chosen the option of placing a combined invitation on their litter bins.


This could, however, be a bit confusing. For example, does it mean that I should collect dog faeces from everywhere just to take them to the centre of Brighton? Who knows? Perhaps a solution would be to gather up the dog faeces from Bexley, take it to Brighton and fill the bins. That way, everybody wins! In the meantime, seal your letterbox!

Poover on patrol.

Some people just don't give up no matter what the world throws back at them. They have one goal and they keep going for that goal with increased determination and purpose.

Islington Council in London, UK is an organisation with such a vision - a vision where dog fouling is a thing of the past in the streets, parks & open spaces within the Borough of Islington.

Their campaign started in the 1990's with an ambitious series of adverts. Remember the TV advert with the old man defecating on the pavement & the dog turd in a hot dog roll billboard poster ?

Remind yourself of this Saatchi & Saatchi masterpiece here.

The years rolled on, staff at the council changed, but still the vision remained, waiting for a individual to take up the mantle and continue what Saatchi & Saatchi began.

That individual was Councillor Greg Foxsmith - Executive Member for the Environment for Islington Council.

"I want to see a zero tolerance approach to those that allow their dogs to foul the streets", said Cllr Foxsmith, "and for this reason I am now going undercover as a street sweeper to see the problems experienced by our residents myself & to help identify those responsible."

Armed with an array of brushes, brooms & scrapers, Cllr Foxsmith can be seen tackling some of the most stubborn dog fouling stains in his borough.

"By the end of my shift I am really tired", reports Cllr Foxsmith, "some of the dog turds take a lot of hard scraping to remove them from the pavements. It's a never ending job. Dog diarrhea is the worst!"

Whilst admiring his efforts, other councillors have been understandably reluctant to join hands with him and pick up dog faeces. Islington Counil have therefore taken his idea one step further and introduced The Poover to their streets.

The Poover is a spraying, sucking, dog shit devouring machine that sits on the back of a modified 125cc motor cycle. It works by spraying dog faeces with a warm jet of water to loosen it and then removing the mess with a suction mechanism. A fragrant detergent then sterilises the area simultaneously.

Cllr Foxsmith states, "I welcome the use of modern technology towards the problem, but I prefer the hands on approach and will continue cleaning dog shit from our streets the old fashioned way."

Shut up and listen fool !

During my childhood in the early eighties, I grew up on a generous helping of The A-Team every Saturday evening. The were my ultimate heroes - always ready to take a stand against injustice and help the "little man".

My favourite character was Mr T who played B.A.Baracus. The series has obviously long gone from our screens, but Mr T is still going strong and is still as vocal as ever on some of todays global problems.

So I was honoured when he decided to support the dog fouling campaign with this short motivation video giving his thoughts on the problem.

"Pity the fool that lets their dog foul our streets"

If we all followed Mr T's Commandments then the world would be a better place.

As If The The Act Of Fouling Isn't Bad Enough!

This dog has the audacity to to emerge from the hedge (guess what it was doing!) and then leave a massive skid mark down the road.

I can only assume that this is as a result of deliberate training by the owner.

Where is the government when this is going on?

Step-by-step instructions

I was out for a walk yesterday when I came upon a dogeared & badly worn, handwritten note that appeared to have been hastily written and stuck to a post by the entrance to the park.

The note clearly listed step-by-step instructions and was entitled, "How to pick up dog poo". Clearly the author was trying to make a point as the park was laid out like a minefield of dog faeces!

It read :

1. Take several plastic bags with you when you take your dog for a walk,

2. When your dog stops & starts to smell the ground - get out a bag cause you are going to need it soon.

3. Put your hand in the bag, grab the dog poo from the ground and lift it up.

4. Turn the bag inside out (still holding the poo), tie and put in the bin.

5. Continue enjoying the walk with your dog.

6. Repeat as necessary and stop messing the park for the rest of us !

Sounds easy, but why do so few people clean up after their dog ?

To give you an idea what it is like to walk in a park covered with doggy doo have a play of this game and very quickly you will see what damage a few dogs can do to a green open space in only a few short minutes if left to their own devices.

Will you take a stand and clean up the park or will you just turn the other cheek and let it all wash over you?

Best I can do is a £70 fine - how about you :-)