Guide dog left unable to work after eating left waste: Pick up after your pooch

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes but the one thing that unites them is their poo. No one likes stepping in it but not only is it gross it can be fatal to your furry friends. 

It is estimated that the UK’s dogs produce more than 880 tonnes of poo everyday which is a huge amount of mess if left unpicked. 

A local dog walker finds it near impossible to keep her companion away from the mess left in parks and on the pavements. 

Jill Collins, a guide dog walker, finds that the animal she walks, Mia, has an absolute fascination with eating other dogs' waste despite being highly trained with otherwise good recall. 

She says: "For a dog with that level of obedience about everything else it was really tricky and really difficult”. 

Mia works as a service animal for a blind man, Kev, who has suffered a number of strokes and attends physiotherapy as a result of this. Jill takes Mia out and gives her a chance to exercise and stretch her legs which Kev is not able to give her. 

Her unusual eating habits may seem funny but it is actually far from that. After eating the mess Mia was left so unwell that she could not properly perform her service tasks. 

Jill and her own dog Buddy on a walk at Bransbury Park. Credit: Alison Canham

The volume of dog mess not being picked up, means a vulnerable person was left without their much needed guide animal. Her blind owner was left to pick up her feces and sick throughout the night and she was unable to help around the house like she usually did. 

Jill said before her experience with Mia she was guilty of “sticking and flicking” or leaving her own dog’s waste if it was off a path. 

Now she says: “I can’t understand it. It’s not fair to people who aren't dog lovers and it's not fair on anyone.”

She says that volunteering with Mia is what made her become acutely aware of how important it is to clear up after your pet. Watching the impact on her really made Jill stop and think about it more and now when she sees other people not picking up she finds it really hard. 

Jill also worries that if owners are not responsible enough to pick up their dogs' waste then they may not be responsible when it comes to worming and the rest of their care. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tKKpXZBK4w

Find out more about Jill's story here. Footage credit: Alison Canham

When asked about picking up their pooch’s poo 92% of owners said they would never leave their dogs waste in public. However only 53% said that most owners in their community were responsible when clearing up after their dog. 

It was also found that 8% of people think it is okay to leave the mess if it is in a natural area. People commonly think if it is not on a path where it may get stepped on it is not an issue. 

Emma Jackson, at Litter Free Dorset is working to change this mindset by spreading the message to “Bag it and Bin it”. Her work on tackling dog fouling is part of a wider campaign to protect and improve the environment.

She comments: “Tackling dog mess is an important part of our work to protect the environment because it has so many detrimental impacts. We want our walkers to be able to enjoy the countryside without worrying about stepping in poo and we also want the wild animals to be safe.”

She shares that the mindset some dog owners have is very badly misinformed because when some think the rain will just wash the poo away they do not realise that it will actually then reach local rivers and seas. 

When this happens the quality and safety of the water for swimming and playing in is severely affected. It can make swimmers and paddlers sick which is why owners should not rely on the rain to wash the mess away. 

The bacteria found in dog poo can also cause abortions in cattle and leave them with an infection for life. Cattle will become infected if they eat grass or drink water which has been contaminated. This is something which Litter Free Dorset are looking to raise awareness for because they feel it is an impact that not many dog owners are aware of. 

Emma’s work places a heavy focus on a joint effort from the community through humorous campaigns such as “Don’t poop n Run” which acts as a simple call to action. 

Dog fouling is considered an environmental crime and owners are legally obligated to pick up in public spaces. Failure to do so can result in an instant £100 fixed-penalty or prosecution which can lead to a fine of up to £1000. 

Most councils have an online form where dog fouling can be reported. When making a report specific details of where it happened, what the dog looked like, what the owner looked like and when it happened need to be included. 

The reporting and policing of dog fouling requires a joint effort from both the council and community however it is rarely caught in the act which makes this process difficult.