Council in the doghouse over fouling campaign

A SOUTH Wales council’s crackdown on dog fouling has left some pet owners feeling that they are being “shouted at” and that all dogs are made out to be “nuisances”.

As part of its “Sort **IT Out” campaign, Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council has been ploughing more resources into catching irresponsible dog owners. So much so, that nearly 200 fixed penalty notices have been issued since the campaign started in October last year.

As part of its awareness drive, RCT council created a video detailing all of the new rules dog owners must follow, after a Public Spaces Protection Order came into force.

It was re-posted to its social media pages over the weekend.

And some dog owners have been questioning the tone and manner of the video, after it was edited using dramatic music, pointed finger animations, warning signs and bold capital letters.

Some of the text used in the video includes: “Dog owners MUST clean up their dogs’ mess immediately” and “Dog owners MUST carry means to pick up dog mess (ie bags) at all times”.

While a number of people commended the council for taking action, some felt the message was a little too strong.

One Facebook user said: “I own a dog myself, and like all other responsible dog owners, I comply with the law and requirements for picking up mess, respecting areas where dogs aren’t welcome etc.

“I just don’t appreciate being shouted at in the manner of this video. This video comes across as trying to make out that all dogs are nuisances.”

Another user wrote: “That’s the problem with this approach – those who are responsible and respectable don’t need to be told and those that do need to be told either don’t care or are just too stupid to realise that it shouldn’t be done. Why else would they do it in the first place otherwise?”

Since October, when the new rules were introduced to tackle irresponsible dog owners, nearly 200 fixed penalty notices have been issued in the RCT area.

As part of the new campaign, the council’s streetcare enforcement team has stepped up patrols across the county borough, including hotspots reported via the council’s social media accounts.

People who fail to follow the new rules will be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100 – including those who are caught by enforcement officers without dog poo bags.

A spokeswoman for RCT council said: “The Sort **IT Out campaign video has been in use since October.

“It is targeted at irresponsible dog owners and aims to raise awareness of the seriousness of allowing your dog to foul in a public place and failing to clean up the mess.

“The choice of music and text is used as it further strengthens the message that the council will take action against those who are caught not picking up after their dog, or walking them in prohibited areas and they will be fined £100.

“The new tougher rules were brought in with overwhelming public support in October as a direct response to the public’s concerns about the amount of dog mess on and in our sports pitches, play areas, schools, streets and villages.

“Almost 200 fines have now been issued to irresponsible dog owners across the county borough. The council would rather see a clean county borough and all dog walkers acting responsibly rather than issue fines – which could have easily been avoided if a small minority of irresponsible dog owners had simply followed the rules.”

The council says all revenue generated from the FPNs is invested back in frontline services to further improve services in RCT.