Ards is to become the first area in Northern Ireland to have ‘green dog walkers’ in a new community-based campaign to tackle dog fouling.
Being introduced by Ards Borough Council, the ‘green dog walkers’ scheme is coming to the seaside town of Donaghadee where dog walking volunteers, identifiable by their branded armbands – or the branded collar sported by their pets! – will carry bundles of extra poop bags to give out to other owners and act as a silent reminder of the importance of cleaning up dog mess.
The programme originated in the Scottish town of Falkirk and has been adopted by numerous councils in the UK as well as the Republic of Ireland, and in 2010 won the UK Kennel Club Dog Recognition Award.
Local people in the Ards will now be joining more than 1,200 Green Dog Walkers across the British Isles, where the visibility of the volunteers is the key to success, according to Director of Environmental Services for Ards Borough Council, Richard Brittain:
“While the majority of dog owners are responsible and clean up after their pets, the fact remains that there are others who continues to leave their pets’ mess behind in our streets, roads, parks and walkways,” he said. “Having other dog walkers literally wearing their commitment to responsible ownership on their sleeves will help encourage or even shame others into cleaning up after their pets. This is one more strand to our on-going educational and enforcement campaign to address dog fouling issues”.
The Green Dog Walkers scheme begins in Donaghadee in July.
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