It’s one of the quickest ways for your day to be ruined. Walking along, minding your own business, when you feel that uncomfortably familiar squelch under your shoe: you’ve stepped in dog poop.
As well as being generally gross, dog faeces can be dangerous. According to Keep Scotland Beautiful, if dogs are not regularly wormed, parasites in their poo can be passed on to humans and other animals.
It is the law to clean up after your dog in the UK. Local authorities, including Stirling Council, can implement an £80 fine for those who fail to do so.
The council’s records show hundreds of dog fouling complaints going back to 2017 – with more than 50 being reported so far this year. Reports can be made on the Stirling Council website.
The foulest year
The biggest year for complaints is 2018, with a whopping 227 reports.
Other years gathered around just half of that.
The council claims that there are more than 1,000 bins across the local authority suitable for disposing of dog poop. So why are fouling reports still so high?
The foulest place of 2023
Already this year, most of the 51 complaints are based around the population-dense city of Stirling. There are a handful in more rural areas.
Six reports did not provide a location, and so could not be mapped.
The St Ninians and Whins of Milton areas are particularly foul this year, with a high concentration of reports.
They are also some of the poorest places in Stirling according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
Less well-off areas like the Raploch and Cornton also included a few reports, whilst the affluent King’s Park has just one so far in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, poop bags and scoopers cost money – people with disposable incomes that can afford to buy these products will be living in these better-off areas.
The foulest month
The highest month for complaints is January with 101, followed closely by February and March. The rest of the year hovers around the 60 mark.
The increased amount of reports in the early months of the year could be down to many factors – perhaps more people are out and about due to New Years resolutions, or the colder temperatures mean that folk are keen to get back inside and don’t pick up their dog’s mess.
Stirling Council said in a statement: “There are over 1,000 litter and dog mess dual bins or specific dog mess litter bins in the Stirling Council area that can be used by the public.
“However, dog fouling is unfortunately still an issue in public parks, foot paths and even school playing fields.
“Officers from our Community Safety Team undertake regular patrols across Stirling to challenge and educate irresponsible pet owners about dog fouling and its health hazards. Repeat offenders are fined as a last resort.”
Feature image credit: Stirling Council
Film, media and journalism student. I like writing about my inability to eat gluten.
