To think a £50 on the spot fine for having a dog and no poo bag is a good idea?

[MothershipG]

Daventry to fine dog walkers who go out without poo bags

I think that this an excellent idea and should be implemented nationally. It is so hard for local councils to fine people for dog fouling as they practically have to catch them in the act. Anyone with a dog should always be prepared for a poo pick up. I really can't see any downsides.

I know that it won't stop the worse offenders who literally don't give a shit (pun intentional ) but surely it would help?

I am the owner of 3 dogs so I always go equipped with multiple bags and have extras in every bag and coat pocket I own. I not infrequently get asked by other walkers if I can give them a spare, which I am happy to do, but really how hard is it to remember bags?

I also operate a system of poo karma; if I think that there is even a chance I haved missed one (tiny brown poos in a sea of brown leaves can be a challenge!) I will pick up the next random poo I come across, thus keeping the poo karma in balance.

I think it's a brilliant idea actually.

I can't see a down side at all!

I used to have a lead with a little pouch attached, to keep poo bags (empty ones!) in.

Awesome idea

Yanbu.

And 'poo karma' is the best thing I've heard all day .

Weeeeeel, I thought I agreed with it. But then I thought about all the times I took my dog for walks without one because he pooed like clockwork

So I'm not sure. Is it really the only crime we're going to fine people in advance of them doing anything wrong when they might not?

So I'm not sure.

Mind you I've just thought...

Who's going to police it?

I never see street wardens/park keepers/community police around any more.

Very good idea.

I have seen some moaners on FB complaining though, saying they could easily run out of bags - tough! Take more with you, they're only little!

Hope they start doing it round here, too many crap dog owners who leave it lying around.

Brilliant idea ... hope they have the resources to enforce.

YANBU.

Even if your dog poos like clockwork its not like its.inconvenient to carry a poo bag.

Next step, get people to use them!...

I always have bags but I'm confused how they will police it.
Joe Bloggs walks down the street with his dog. Will they have stop and search powers? Joe Bloggs refuses to stop, shouts yes I have but refuses to show them and keeps walking.

Because I've seen the environmental people who physically see and record people dropping litter deal with some right twats.

Brilliant idea - in theory! People will still have to be persuaded to use them and dispose of them correctly.

At the very first puppy classes I took Ddog to we were taught to carry 3 poo bags - one to use, one for an emergency or give a friend and one to show the dog warden! This mantra has stuck and I never take Ddog out with less than three, usually just a pocket full of bags.

there are already fines for not picking poos up - they don't police that so why would they police carrying bags. And do you have to have empty ones or used ones OK (ie evidence that s/he has done it and on his way home). Bit loopy if you ask me and not focussed on the root cause of the problem - ie poo picking. Police that and provide bins so you don't have to walk a couple of miles to bin it.

yanbu

i would like a very high fine for those who do not bother to put bags in a poo bin or take it home

and even higher fines for those who hang the poo in a bag off a tree, there are a few trees on Wimbledon common with quite a few poo bags hanging off it apparently because not enough bins are supplied

You can get fined £1,000 for not picking up after your dog where I live. Some people still don't bother though.

I initially read it as having no dog.now that would be unfair.

If there's no bins provided take it home, no bins is a shit excuse!

We regularly go to Buttermere in the LD with the dogs, there are NO bins around the Lake, we just tie the used bags to the rucksack and take to a bin

It is a brilliant idea and I'm sure it will catch on ,unfortunately though it's easy to stick a bag in your pocket and the people who aren't picking up the poo now will continue not to do so despite being equipped with a bag . We have a large dog poo problem on our road at the moment but it's occurring overnight / early morning so whoever it is will probably never be caught .

It's a nice idea in theory but as Worra points out there's a question of who would enforce this and I suspect the answer would be no-one or not very effectively, certainly not nationally.

"but really how hard is it to remember bags?"

I sometimes put on the jacket withput them in the pockets.

But as a pp says, how do you "police" it?

Stop & search on what grounds?

Walking a dog?

More than likely it would be someone who usually had them but on this occasion didn't and whose dog hadn't done a poo that would be caught out!

And of course, you can have bags without the intention of using them.

Not sure how effective it would be.

Only workable in certain areas such as parks?

Give other dog owners The Power to taser charge non-poo-bag-carrying owners. God knows the tuts and glares I got on the first time in eight years I'd run out of bags could have paralysed an elderly woman or a small child.

there are already fines for not picking poos up - they don't police that so why would they police carrying bags. And do you have to have empty ones or used ones OK (ie evidence that s/he has done it and on his way home). Bit loopy if you ask me and not focussed on the root cause of the problem - ie poo picking. Police that and provide bins so you don't have to walk a couple of miles to bin it.

Yeah this ^^

Just because they're carrying them doesn't mean they're using them.

I think the fines need to get steeper. That way the LAs can fund enforcement in the same way that parking is enforced.

I get sick to death of dog walkers in my usual park who gawp at their phone, paying no regard to what their dog is doing. On a number of occasions I've had to alert said cretins to the fact that their dog has just crapped. I'm sorely tempted to rip them a new hole. Any suggestions for what I could say to them to shame them to do better would be gratefully received.

I think it's a great idea and hopefully it will make people bring bags and also use them.

When I lived abroad, there were dog bags and bins available almost everywhere. They were on stands in parks, on streets and along paths of any kind. I must admit that I miss that - then there is absolutely no excuse for not picking up.

If they don't fine those blatantly not picking up their poo now, I don't see how this will help. And when I'm running with the dogs I take 3 poo bags (1 each and 1 extra) and frequently use them all, so could be fined on the way home?

The people who spraypaint poo annoy me - a) its as much trouble as picking it up and b) some people can't tell the difference between fox and dog poo apparently. I don't think the foxes will carry bags because their poo is sprayed pink

I agree that it is unlikely to be rigorously enforced, but it would be so much easier to enforce than current fouling legislation. It could be launched with posters in the parks and random checks with warnings while everyone got used to the idea.

As I said in my OP I know the worse offenders won't change their behaviour but it might be enough to make the lazy ones up their game?

Where I live (leafy West London) we have park wardens and community police officers and I do see them once a month or so, it would be easy enough for them to wander up to dog walkers and do spot checks.

I would have thought it would probably be more effective in urban areas, I can see it would be impossible to police in rural areas.

(Glad you liked the poo karma Meg )