Doggie dos and don’ts
There has been a leap in the number of complaints about dog poop on Wellington footpaths as the lockdown takes an unexpected and unhygienic turn.
The problem is so bad in Broadmeadows, they’ve stopped counting teddy bears and started counting bare turds.
Confirmation comes alongside a raft of posts from social media community groups in Wellington and Porirua, pointing out footpaths are becoming a minefield in the new level four world.
A Wellington City Council spokeswoman said the increase was probably because many more people were walking pooches more regularly and closer to home rather than at exercise areas. ‘‘One little boy gave up counting teddies and instead counted eight poos on his walk in Broadmeadows.’’
Other hotspots included Lyall Bay, Johnsonville, and Wilton – while a poo bag was found in a Khandallah stream. ‘‘And we had one complaint about horse poo.’’
Wellington City was not restocking dog poo bags, ‘‘as it was not deemed an essential service and potentially a risk for transmitting Covid-19’’, the spokeswoman said. ‘‘However, any plastic bag will do.’’
Under a council bylaw, people who did not remove their dog’s poop could face a $300 fine.
On Neighbourly, Andrea Hodson from Tawa said she had definitely seen an increase in poop on walkways and paths.
‘‘There is no excuse because the several rubbish bins I walk past are empty and still get emptied. It’s lazy and disgusting.’’
The increase was being noticed as far north as the Ka¯ piti Coast, where Waikanae woman Judith Bennett said she and her husband had noticed the increasing mess on berms and footpaths. ‘‘It’s only been noticeable to us since lockdown, so it’s people who usually work but now going ‘walkies’.’’
A Porirua City Council spokesman said there been no increase in complaints in that city.