Bawdeswell – Dogs Fouling the Footpath – Poop & Scoop

Before I moved to Bawdeswell a few years ago, I looked at the Reeves Tale on the internet and saw a letter concerning dogs fouling the footpath. I thought to myself ‘If that’s the only serious problem in the village, then Bawdeswell must be a great place to live’. Bawdeswell IS a great place to live, but the dog mess problem is still with us and it causes distress and inconvenience to a lot of villagers. (see letters in February edition of Reeves Tale). The issue was raised again at the March Parish Council Meeting.

Dog faeces are not only unsightly and nasty if trod in, but are a serious health hazard, especially to young children. Apart from the usual bacteria contained in faeces that can cause stomach upsets they can spread Toxocariasis that can lead to Blindness. I found the following information on the BBC website.

‘Toxocariasis is an infection of the round worm Toxocara canis. It is a zoonotic disease that is spread via unwashed vegetables and dog faeces. Young children in particular are at risk due to their weaker immune systems and because they are more likely to expose themselves by ingesting the eggs. A puppy can pass as many as 15,000 eggs per gram of faeces, and they are a major source of environmental contamination. The larvae try to migrate through the human body as they would in a dog's, but the human body treats them as foreign material, which causes a reaction and tissue damage. There are two types of toxocariasis: visceral larva migrans (VLM) and ocular larva migrans (OLM). In VLM, the larvae reach the liver, causing inflammation and symptoms such as abdominal pain and pyrexia. Most people recover spontaneously. OLM occurs when a migrating larva reaches the eye. It causes a granuloma to form on the retina, causing significant visual impairment and in severe cases even blindness.’

There are a lot of dog owner in Bawdeswell and the vast majority are completely responsible and clean up after their animals. There are, however, just a few irresponsible owners who fail to ‘Scoop the Poop’ and leave a dangerous and unsightly mess in our village. Dog owners have also been seen allowing their dogs to run loose in the play areas of the recreation ground which is also prohibited.

This is antisocial behaviour by a few and needs to be stopped. Special bins for dog faeces have been provided by the Parish Council at strategic locations and more are to be provided. Please Scoop the Poop and take it home or put it in a dog bin. If you have difficulty bending down you can get 2ft long scoops. Villagers are urged to identify the persons responsible if possible and report them to the Breckland Environmental Health Dog Warden Service (01362 656870).

You can be fined up to £1000 for not clearing up after your dog.

To report dog fouling that needs to be cleared call Street Scene on 01362 656878.

David Cockburn