Starting the Day

Sometimes, with life being so pressured, we don't have time to eat breakfast and walk the dog!

That problem is now over!


Just follow the example of this young lady, who walks the dog, eats breakfast and clears up after the dog all in one go.

Scotland Again - What is Happening?

Since highlighting the FOI requests made by Emma Horrell, Dog Fouling and Red Rubber Bands HQ has received a number of communications regarding Scotland. I hope to blog about them later.

One deserves particular mention and that is a communication relating to night time dog fouling. The Shetland News, where the truth is great and prevails, informs us that a poster campaign has been launched in Lerwick. Instances of dog fouling have increased by 60% in some neighbourhoods compared to the light summer evenings. I am really curious to know how this has been measured. Is it measured by reports to the council, by the observations of enforcement officers or the activity of carpet cleaning companies? I don't know.



I do know that a meaningful poster campaign has been launched. This is very important. Clearly, there are those, who believe that dog fouling has less effect in the dark. Could this be why the problem appears to be so prominent in Scotland? Scotland has more hours of darkness than its Southern neighbours. Perhaps there is an unspoken feeling of safety in the dark and an attitude that what you can't see can't harm you? I could understand this to be the case as, frankly, you could virtually slide to my village pub in the evenings!

I think the poster says it all and I will do no more than leave you with its words and picture of wisdom. I love the spotlight theme - floodlight those faeces!

Dog Poo Christmas Ornaments and Gifts

On Christmas morning, what better than to feast our eyes on a series of ornaments and gifts, which help us to celebrate Christmas with our favourite substance - dog excrement.

We start with "Yule Doos", a frosted tree ornament. I love the strap line "When a Tinkle's Not Enough"! I can just imagine a Christmas tree overflowing with these representations of dog waste.

Then we have a (thankfully) unscented dog poo candle. Imagine these around the table on Christmas morning!

But my favourite has to be "Chocolate Doo Drops". Quite frankly, I can taste them as I type this post!

Whatever your chosen favourite, have a very happy Christmas and don't forget... there is no amnesty during the holiday period! If your dog produces some festive fouling then you must still engage in a Christmas clear up!

Hot Babes II

Remember the post detailing how hot girls were forced to wear skimpy bikini's to advertise a new type of poo bag?

Well the advertisers have jumped on this selling point again and used another hot girl in their campaign, this time to advertise Catch-A-Poop.

I think they have made a mistake using her in their advert though, as I didn't even notice that she was carrying a 5ft long pole with a luminous yellow plastic bag stuck to the end of it!



PS: Who is Joey Villani, Celebrity Pet Grooming Judge, A.K.A The Dog Father anyway ??????

Drumchapel Housing Co-operative - Mutt Shots!

Once again, we are back in Scotland. Drumchapel Housing Co-operative has come to the attention of the Clydebank Post.



What can possibly be the cause of this interest. Yes, you guessed it, dog fouling!

With a clever play on words, the campaign is described as "mutt shots". Those of you, who are familiar with law enforcement programmes from the US will instantly think of "mug shots". You would be quite right to do so!

As the Clydebank Post explains; Drumchapel Housing Co-op holds a photographic register of their tenants' pets as well as details of the name, age, breed, colour, sex and a written description of each animal.

This enables housing officers to identify the owners of pets in the event of antisocial behaviour such as continual barking, dog fouling or aggression towards other animals or humans.

The landlord currently has 150 animals on file and owners responsible for antisocial behaviour, such as dog fouling, are in breach of their tenancy agreement.

They will receive a fixed penalty notice and ultimately risk losing their homes if they fail to clean up their act.

That said, the Daily Record sees it differently. It explains that the measure has been brought in because pet detectives in Glasgow find it hard in the winter months to identify owners covered up with scarves and hats.

This seems a more likely explanation as CCTV is used to identify owners, who do not clear up. CCTV has been a much debated issue on this blog but it appears that Scotland is taking a much harder line in this area. City council leader Gordon Matheson (right) said: "Pet registers, ssuch as the one compiled by Drumchapel Housing Cooperative, are very useful for establishing the identity of the owners of animals involved in anti-social behaviour". This is welcome support from the council leader but I note that he makes no observations about the use of CCTV. Does this mean anything? I don't know. I do know that Rani Dhir MBE (left), who is a director of Drumchapel Housing states; "We have been encouraging our tenants to report any antisocial behaviour involving dogs which may have been fouling or causing a nuisance. We intend to follow up their reports where we have good evidence. We also recognise that there are many responsible dog owners who have registered their dogs, take them out only on a leash and clean up after them - they need have no concerns that their pets will be a target."Does Rani approve of the use of CCTV? Again, I don't know. Rani is, however, a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution. I have no idea what the findings of the Commission will be. Indeed, here at Dog Fouling and Red Rubber Bandsm we eschew party politics of any kind. We can, however, observe that, whether Scotland becomes independent or not, there will be no room for hiding if you let your dog foul the streets or parks.
Personally, I can't wait for the first identification parade to take place!

Marie Hannigan is also Scottish and works in communities and housing. She has a personal dream that we will be able to recycle dog poo. Although she offers no solution, it is worth hearing her express her heartfelt desire!