Time for some paw and order for doggy doo doo delinquents

RegulaR readers will know that litter is one of my pet hates.

Our beautiful Scotland is blighted by verges full of bottles, cans, used vapes, cartons and cups.

On my regular walk, I see the same few items carelessly discarded again and again, presumably by a small number of mindless people.

Despite my efforts, and those of many others, to regularly pick it up, it still continues. Were there not a band of regular litter pickers, I doubt it would be possible to wade through the accumulated debris on my local cycle path.

But I hold a special place in my heart for those who fail to poop scoop after their dogs.

There are two types of these doggy doo doo delinquents. The first is brazen.

Whenever and wherever their dog decides to deposit, it is simply ignored; left, as it were, for others to stand on, until a combination of rain, slugs and feet disperse it back to nature. The other is probably worse. They make the pretence of bagging the poo but then, bizarrely, throw the now decomposition proofed material into the undergrowth, where it will lurk for decades. What’s the point?

While litter poses risks to our wildlife and children, dog faeces are dangerous for everyone.

Fresh poo can contain a variety of bugs, including staphylococcus, salmonella, campylobacter, E. coli, Yersinia, giardia, cryptosporidium and enterococcus, all of which can cause illness.

A particular risk is toxocara, a roundworm that releases eggs in faeces, which become infective after a few weeks (and can remain so for up to two years).

Toxocara infections in humans frequently go undiagnosed as symptoms are vague and include fever, coughing, stomach pain, itching, eye pain and changes in sight (floaters or flashes of light).

Occasionally, but especially in children, loss of sight in an eye can occur. So here’s an idea!

Dog owners in Italy’s Bolzano-South Tyrol region are now being required to provide a sample of their pet’s DNA as the authorities clamp down on their dog mess problem.

Veterinary Department Director, Paolo Zambotto (I didn’t make that name up!) says that 10,000 out of the 40,000 dogs in the area are already signed up.

Once up and running (!) any poo found will be DNA tested and traced back to an individual dog, allowing anti-social owners to be fined up to 500 euros.

When you consider that there are around 8million dogs in the UK producing about 1000 tons of mess every day, you can see the extent of the problem.