Pupils pen book to fight dog fouling outside school

PUPILS have been taking action against irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets.

Unity Community primary school in Cheetham Hill is surrounded by plenty of outdoor space and greenery, in an area which is popular with dog walkers.

But over the past 12 months, Unity’s children and staff have noticed more and more dog-fouling around their school grounds, including outside the nursery entrance.

Concerned students in Year 6 decided to write and illustrate a book to highlight the issue and to encourage people to keep the area clean and tidy.

The book, ‘We Love Dogs,’ has since been published by the school, which aims to share it with other schools and community groups in the area to help spread the word.

The school has also had illustrations printed onto large signs which are displayed outside the school gates to remind dog owners to do the right thing.

Headteacher Jude Lee, said: “Unity is a school with a very strong sense of community which extends beyond our school gates.

“From our perspective, there are obvious health and safety concerns, along with environmental ones.”

Manchester City Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, said: “Dog owners have a legal obligation to clean up every time their dog fouls in a public place and we look to fine those found to not be complying with the law.

“We encourage people to continue reporting dog-fouling incidents via www.manchester.gov.uk.”