" It's a funny thing, the thoughts that cross your mind. As I'm sitting here in the darkest corner of Swale House, the area inhabited by the Environmental Response Team, I'm thinking about dog fouling. Now there are plenty of other topics I could put to the forefront of my mind, but dog fouling is always there. In fact, judging by some of the complaints we receive on the subject, dog fouling is everywhere. Now, don't get me wrong, we welcome all calls reporting dog fouling, I'm not complaining about that, I just wonder why, that in this day and age of social conscience, do we still have this problem?
It is also sometimes perceived to be our fault. When I say "our", I mean the council. Now, the last time I checked, Swale Borough Council only owns two dogs, Big Biffer and Little Biffer. They both live happily in the cupboard near the photocopier, and only see the light of day on special occasions. So if it's not us, then who is responsible? Well, I firmly believe it's a very small minority of dog owners who are under the illusion that it does not matter, and nobody will catch them. Certainly there can't be anyone who isn't aware that's it's an offence not to clean up after your dog, but I assume some people believe that if no one is watching, then don't bother about it. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Apart from "The Dog Warden", that's me by the way, our team of enforcement officers, street wardens, and also Police Community Support Officers are all able to issue fixed penalty notices if we witness a dog owner failing to clean up after a dog. We do have a zero tolerance policy in place, so be warned, if we see an offence being committed we will act in the appropriate manner.
So come on, if you are one of the minority dog owners who think its OK not to clean up after your dog, get a grip, it's antisocial, a dangerous health hazard, frankly just shows a total lack of respect for the area you live in, and of course is an offence. To make things easier, we are even giving away free "Dog Waste Bags" at the moment, so pop along to one our district offices and ask for some. Swale is a lovely diverse borough to live & work in, lets all work together to make it a cleaner & safer place.
As a small footnote, whilst writing this, I had to pop out on an urgent call. Now, maybe it was just my lucky day, or the angels who guide me through life were having a tea break, but I managed to attach a large clod of doggie doo-doo to the tip of my right boot. Ever concerned for our heath & safety, the boots Swale Borough issue us have very deep treads. I'll leave it to your imagination to work out what I've been doing for the last 10 minutes!!! So thank you very much to the irresponsible person who allowed their dog to do that without cleaning it up. "
Having said all that, dogs are wonderful things. It's us that cause the problems not them, so look after your dog properly & you'll have a great friend for years.
If you can't commit full time to a dog, buy the games console!
It is also sometimes perceived to be our fault. When I say "our", I mean the council. Now, the last time I checked, Swale Borough Council only owns two dogs, Big Biffer and Little Biffer. They both live happily in the cupboard near the photocopier, and only see the light of day on special occasions. So if it's not us, then who is responsible? Well, I firmly believe it's a very small minority of dog owners who are under the illusion that it does not matter, and nobody will catch them. Certainly there can't be anyone who isn't aware that's it's an offence not to clean up after your dog, but I assume some people believe that if no one is watching, then don't bother about it. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Apart from "The Dog Warden", that's me by the way, our team of enforcement officers, street wardens, and also Police Community Support Officers are all able to issue fixed penalty notices if we witness a dog owner failing to clean up after a dog. We do have a zero tolerance policy in place, so be warned, if we see an offence being committed we will act in the appropriate manner.
So come on, if you are one of the minority dog owners who think its OK not to clean up after your dog, get a grip, it's antisocial, a dangerous health hazard, frankly just shows a total lack of respect for the area you live in, and of course is an offence. To make things easier, we are even giving away free "Dog Waste Bags" at the moment, so pop along to one our district offices and ask for some. Swale is a lovely diverse borough to live & work in, lets all work together to make it a cleaner & safer place.
As a small footnote, whilst writing this, I had to pop out on an urgent call. Now, maybe it was just my lucky day, or the angels who guide me through life were having a tea break, but I managed to attach a large clod of doggie doo-doo to the tip of my right boot. Ever concerned for our heath & safety, the boots Swale Borough issue us have very deep treads. I'll leave it to your imagination to work out what I've been doing for the last 10 minutes!!! So thank you very much to the irresponsible person who allowed their dog to do that without cleaning it up. "
Having said all that, dogs are wonderful things. It's us that cause the problems not them, so look after your dog properly & you'll have a great friend for years.
If you can't commit full time to a dog, buy the games console!
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