Birmingham’s dog wardens support The Big Scoop

in News

We are a nation of dog lovers, owning more than eight million dogs throughout the UK.

However, with that many dogs comes a lot of dog waste: the UK dog population produce over 1,000 tonnes of doggy doo a day, which is the equivalent of three aeroplanes, 100 double decker buses or 200 elephants.

While most dog owners in Birmingham responsibly pick up after their pooches, dog waste remains a prominent and unpleasant issue across the city.

Birmingham City Council dog wardens Deborah Parsons and Kerrie Quinn spoke to people walking their dogs in Kings Heath Park to promote the campaign, explaining why they must scoop, bag and bin the waste, then wash their hands.

Anyone caught not picking up their dog’s poo and disposing of it properly will receive a fixed penalty fine of £80. Those who scoop and bag, but fail to bin it can face a further fine for littering – another £80.

The Dogs Trust and Keep Britain Tidy, in launching its third anti-fouling campaign, are calling on councils, communities and local people to unite as ambassadors for the campaign, becoming ‘Scooper Heroes’ and spreading the message to ‘bag it and bin it’.

Although the majority of dog owners pick up after their dogs, some regular poop scoopers admit that there have been times when they’ve failed to scoop their dog’s poop, despite knowing the impact dog fouling has in their local community.

This may be due to a lack of a suitable bin, as some people think dog poo can only be disposed of in special dog waste bins. In fact, if there is no dedicated dog waste bin, people can use any public bin to dispose of dog poo and many litter bins in Birmingham are now dual use.

To get involved in The Big Scoop, or to find out about hosting an awareness event in your area, please visit www.thebigscoop.org.uk

 ENDS

Media contacts: For more information about Dogs Trust please call or email:

Hannah Baker, Press Officer T: 020 7833 7616 E: hannah.baker@dogstrust.og.uk

Mary Hickey, Junior Press Officer T: 020 7833 7650 E: mary.hickey@dogstrust.org.uk

Emily Mayer, Digital Press Officer T: 020 7812 5273 E: emily.mayer@dogstrust.org.uk

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