Pick up your dog's poo

Spanish town fights back against dog poo by parcelling it up and POSTING it back to the owner

A Spanish town has hit back at dog owners who let their animals foul in public and fail to remove the mess.

Brunete, a small town 20 miles west of Madrid, employs 20 volunteers who patrol the streets on the lookout for dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets.

The volunteers ascertain the name of dog after striking up conversation with the owner before parcelling up the mess and sending it back to them.

A council spokesman said: 'With the name of the dog and the breed it was possible to identify the owner from the registered pet database held in the town hall,' reports the Telegraph.

The volunteers scoop up the mess and package it in a box with town hall branding.

It is marked 'Lost Property' and delivered by courier to the pet owners' address.

The campaign has been a huge success with a 70 per cent drop in the amount of dog mess found on the streets.

In a week in February Brunete posted 147 parcels back to unsuspecting owners.The town has 10,000 residents.

The unusual campaign was developed by award-winning advertising agency McCann - who won the 'Sol de Plata' award at the Ibero-American Advertising Festival.

There have been several notable attempts to rid Spanish towns of the dog mess.

Last year in a similar attempt to tackle the problem owners were chased by a remote controlled car with dog mess on and a label reading 'Don't leave me – pick me up'.

Two years ago the council of Hernani, a town in the Basque Country, introduced a law forcing dog owners to register their pet's DNA so that they could be traced if their excrement was found on the streets.


What do you think should be done to resolve the problem of dog mess on our streets?
 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Graham!!!
How are you? I hope you are better.
I`ve read the article, and I saw it on the TV . I think it`s a good idea, very useful.

See you!!!
Hilde
Graham said…
Hi Hilde!

It was so tough to go back to work yesterday but I made it.

I agree that it's a good idea but by now everyone knows about it, and they won't reveal the name of their dog to anyone.

Irresponsible dog owners get on my nerves.

I think many let their dogs off their leads and pretend not to notice if their dog makes a mess.

I've also noticed that many pick up the mess but leave the bag at the side of the road.


I also find dog barking really annoying. I don't mind when it's occasional but in front of my house they leave their dogs outside the supermarket to bark continually.



Having said that, I wish I could have a dog but I think it's cruel to have one in a flat. A dog should have lots of exercise and be free to run around.

What do you think?


Anonymous said…
Hy Graham.
It´s Laura. I have a dog and I always pick up its mess. In my opinión the main problem is that dog owners leave their dog´s mess over the grass in a park or in some place where could be children playing. In addition to be disgusting, it´s an important healthy problem.
Graham said…
Hi Laura,

Apart from being a potential health risk, I just think it is unpleasant.

Too many people have a dog but don't accept the responsbilities that come with having one.


In my opinion the main problem is that dog owners leave their dog´s mess on the grass in a park or in some place where children could be playing. In addition to being disgusting, it´s an serious health problem.

Anonymous said…
Hi Graham!

It's Arianna.

The article is very interesting and it explains a very important problem with simple words and with a funny but at the same time serious approch. In my opionion this is an efficient way to explain people problematic situation and their solutions.

I think that the idea of the Hernani Council is a little bit exagerate but I love the Brutene one. Peolple become "scared" when they know that they could have to pay money or tax......
Good idea!!!!

See you tomorrow!! Bye!!!!!
Graham said…
Hi Arriana,

...serious approach. In my opinion, this is an efficient way to explain problematic solutions and their solutions to people / explain how people can solve problematic solutions.

I think that the idea of the Hernani Council is a little bit exaggerated / has gone too far, but I love the Brutene one. ...

Remember to read stories at thelocal.it I try to keep up with news from Italy.

There is also a label Italy with news from Il Bel Paese but please forgive me for any negative things I might say :-)