Aimee & The Dog Poo Fairy

Behind every campaign there is a real person that is affected and the reason we all continue the fight. In this case it is little Aimee Langdon.

Aimee is only two years old and was happily playing in her local Manchester playground last month. She fell & put her hand in dog muck. Moments later she wiped her left eye with her hand, transferring some of the faeces to her face.

Her mum, Suzanne, was just feet away but was too late to stop her child catching an infection which has now claimed most of the sight in that left eye.

Suzanne cleaned her child's eye at once then took her home and bathed it, but within 48 hours it was clear the infection had worsened.

Aimee was diagnosed with the disease toxocariasis normally passed on to humans by dog or cat poo infected with roundworm and this in turn can lead to blindness.

That fleeting moment in the playground now haunts Suzanne, while her Aimee's damaged eye sees only dark shapes.

Suzanne says, "Aimee's condition is the consequence of just one thoughtless dog owner - how can I explain to a two-year-old that she will be unable to see out of one eye ever again?"

Since then Suzanne and brave little Aimee have launched a UK campaign with the Keep Britain Tidy initiative, to rid the country of dog-fouling.

The month-long action - with posters all over the country - is backed by 85 local councils and will tell dog owners: "There's no such thing as the Dog Poo Fairy".

There are about eight million dogs in the UK, producing around one million tonnes of faeces each year, so it's no wonder dog-fouling is the most offensive type of litter on our streets and is constantly rated by the public as one of the most important issues affecting their local area.

Regardless of all the jokes we make about dog fouling - lets do it for the kids. Kids like Aimee.

Dog Shit Blues - Variation On A Theme

This is the second song of this title, which we have featured on this site. If nothing else, it indicates just how important this topic is.

Our first post was a solo artiste. This is a group. The cult spreads! I am not only impressed by the group but also by the audience. They clearly love it. I wonder how much was being smeared across the dance floor?

Take time to listen to this song, it is a future icon!

Oxford - Seat Of Learning, Streets Of Heaving Dirt

Oxford is cracking down on major crime. Fines for dog fouling will be increased from £50 to £80 and will be enforceable on more city streets. Thank goodness Oxford City Council has a collective appreciation of what matters.

Councillor John Tanner has an understanding of the dog fouling issue, which has passed most people by. He sums it up in words,which would have brought tears to the eyes of Shakespeare or Quentin Tarantino: "There’s nothing worse than getting it on your shoe, except perhaps getting on the wheels of a pushchair." Thank you, John, you are the first to introduce pushchairs into the argument. I can only assume that you have experienced this first hand. Nice one!




See picture above. Councillor John Tanner, centre, with dog warden Ken Williams, right, and responsible dog owner Richard Burley with his pet Sasha. Imagine the excrement those four could produce in 24 hours. Let's hope they all behave responsibly!

Full article here.

Don't Do It Twice In Leeds!

Elizabeth Eardley appears to have no fear of the authorities in Leeds. Elizabeth is a professional dog walker. In January 2007, she received a £75 fixed penalty for failing to clear up after a dog.

Some might have decided not to offend again....but not Elizabeth! In January, she entered a park in Bramley with ten dogs. One of the dogs fouled the park and she failed to clean it up. This led to a visit to Leeds Magistrates Court, where she pleaded guilty. This resulted in a fine of £50, costs of £250 and a victim surcharge of £15. Total £315. Quite an expensive bowel movement; significantly more than a human pays at Victoria railway station for example.

As councillor Tom Murray put it: "it is simply unacceptable that a minority of dog owners are failing to honour their responsibilities to keep our environment clean by blighting our parks and countryside with dog dirt."

I cannot agree more that this is a valuable use of court time. While people are receiving cautions at police stations for theft, assault and, in some cases, even burglary, the courts are freed up to deal with the serious and meaningful issues.

While this is a short post, it goes to the very heart of our campaign.

Full article here.

Pavement Fouling - Now It's Personal

As you will all be aware, I have campaigned vigorously on this site. I am doing this for the benefit of the whole of the country, if not the world. Let me be very clear, I don't get anything for doing this. Campaigning in this way does not constitute paid employment. I do it out of a sense of moral and civic duty.

I can only assume that this is why I have been targeted in such a vile manner. The picture above is of my drive where it joins with the pavement. I returned home late yesterday evening. Thankfully, there is a nearby streetlight. On the pavement, directly outside my drive as shown above, I fortunately spotted two hideous lumps of dog excrement. Although it looks like three, take it from me, the "lump" to the right of the picture is, in fact, a slug.

This cannot be coincidence. It is very clear that somebody has seen this blog, identified me and made a statement by causing their dog to defecate outside my drive, clearly in the hope that I would trail it indoors.

They failed, I spotted it! This will not put me off. Having become a victim, I am now even more determined to fight on.

All I can do is ask that you support me and my fellow blogger, we will not be deterred!!!!

Rochdale Reports "Foul Play"

Rochdale has just launched a "Foul Play" campaign in order to wage war on the menace of dog fouling. As if things aren't bad enough in the North with the recession taking hold! Clearly, the economic situation is being worsened by the fact that streets and parks are veritably flowing with dog waste. Old ladies and young children have united to display the red card (see picture above).

There is a web link and a hotline to report offenders.

Councillor David Clayton is very clear: "we have a zero tolerance approach to dog fouling on public land". If I lived in Rochdale, this would worry me. Implicit in the councillor's statement is that he doesn't care if someone allows their dog to enter my garden and defecate everywhere. Is this really where our democracy has led us?

I will leave you with another gem from Councillor Clayton: "Those who choose to leave it on the ground or hang it in bags from trees and fences are totally irresponsible." Thank you, David, without your intervention it would never have occurred to me that hanging dog excrement from a tree is irresponsible. Until I read your statement, I had always viewed it as an act of artistic expression!

Full article here.

Snodland Goes Cleaner

Snodland is to be found in North Kent. As many residents and visitors will observe, Snodland cannot be flushed! Therefore, an alternative approach is required. This is where the "Snodland Goes Cleaner" campaign comes into its own.

In 2008, the local partnership ran a "caught doing right" initiative, whereby dog walkers were rewarded if found picking up after their dogs.

Following this raging success, the stated plan for 2010 is to "focus on dog fouling in the town". The campaign has kicked off with a number of innovative posters. While I think that every one of these posters is an example of stunning artistic taste and imagination, I will reproduce just one below (and I never realised that dogs could read):

The real highlight of this campaign must, however, be the bone shaped, refillable dog poo bag carriers, which can be attached to your dog's lead or collar. Is there no end to the efforts being made to keep the streets of Snodland clear? The picture below says it all.


See all the brilliant posters here.