Dog Poo – No bin, no worry, just dump it.

At a time when there is a lot of concern about fly tipping and when Devon and Cornwall Police have asked walkers to keep an eye out for illegal activity, some Totnes dog owners have adopted a different approach.

Instead of taking dog poo bags home for disposal, Totnes dog walkers have started to create their own illegal fly tip on the Access for All path between Totnes and Dartington. Dog poo is legally defined as ‘litter’ which means that it is an offence and actionable with fines.

This path alongside the water meadow is well used and one of the most beautiful local walks. There used to be a litter bin here. Its absence apparently entitles dog walkers to discard their poo bags in the space.

In the last twenty years the great majority of dog owners have responsibly taken to picking up after their pets. Disposing of the bags has always been a bit of a challenge for some. Many bags are chucked in the undergrowth and some are hung from branches. The plastic bag ensures that bio degradation is slowed down. Dog litter isn’t just anti-social it’s potentially very dangerous, with high risks of Toxocara canis (roundworm), E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Toxocara is the big one: it can cause toxocariasis, which in rare cases leads to vision loss, especially in children.

This path is on private land.  It’s not the council’s responsibility to clear the rubbish. Is it too much to hope that all dog owners could follow the example of the majority and not just dump the pooh bags?

In the meantime perhaps the police could keep a lookout for people adding to this particular Totnes fly tip.