Wirral Community Patrol (web page) staff along with Community Support Officers have issued fines to dog owners who have not cleared the mess that their dog has left. The maximum fine for failing to clean up after a dog is £1,000 although the value of fines issued is not known. There have been visible patrols in Queens Park during mornings over the two weeks.
If you do walk a dog in local parks, along the promenade, on the beach and elsewhere – remember to be a responsible owner and clean it up.
I don’t think fouling is the problem it used to be. It’s all the dogs running loose that make Hoylake a no-go for families. We desperately need areas of the beach to be ‘dogs must be led’. And why on earth are dogs unleashed in our park? It’s crazy. Only a terrible incident will get anything done. In a town where many have no garden it’s impossible to play simple ball games with children in public areas. Our politicians have really let us down on this. We went on a gorgeous ‘no dogs’ beach on Anglessey this summer. How relaxing!
I really thought this would have got a fun debate going that we could have returned to over the Chrimbo break .
;o)
Not that my views aren’t sincerely held I add.
When I saw a friend in West Wittering poop-scooping after her dog who had performed on the sand in a tidal area, I thought back to the promenade between the old baths and Sandhey slipway. In the 70s this was nicknamed “Dog T* alley” and was absolutely disgusting. I was also reminded about the prom when I walked in some of the back alleys of Venice, another place where you have to watch your step.
Scoop the poop! (and please don’t throw the bag into the bushes when you think no-one is looking!)
When I was a council estate kid in the 70’s you used to see kids riding motorbikes on the grass and starting fires and digging up the bowling green. But you never saw a dog off a lead. What happened to that particular social etiquette? Is it just part of the general descent into a “putting me first” society? Or is just a Hoylake thing? People come from far and wide to let their dogs run wild. So the locals maybe think: “what the heck. I’ll do that too”. Sure ruins the place.
I walked along Hoylake beach around five years ago and was disgusted at the amount of dog excrement running along the beach and tide-line. As a child of the 80’s, it was common to have dog waste all over Hoylake (drying to a white residue) and also having to avoid areas when playing on the beach or Grove Park. We have moved on from that, but not far enough.
I agree about a no dog policy for the vast majority of the beach, a section, perhaps down by Kings Gap towards Red Rocks could be designated a dog exercise area. This would be easy to police and restrict the potential dog mess & sometimes danger to only one section. Most owners are responsible, but some are lazy. Most dogs are friendly, but some are not.
I too visited a ‘no dogs’ part of a beach in North Wales, my daughter, who has a great (& possibly irrational) fear of dogs played happily for hours instead of being on dog watch.
I reiterate, most owners are responsible and have a loving and unbreakable bond with their companions. However irresponsible owners should have their noses rubbed in the crap they leave behind!
Well said Richard. I agree with all you say. The question “whatever happened to white dogdirt” requires deeper analysis. Any theories?