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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Dog shit

Yesterday I came a cropper trying to navigate a pram and a toddler past a pile of dog shit in the passage right outside the entry to SHJS. What can we do??? I'm so fed up with lazy dog owners who just can't see why they should clean up after their pets.

I know that the Council have put up lots of bins and strongly worded signs, but I can't really see how they can enforce the law (and I'm sure that is what the dog owners think too). I've heard people mention CCTV, but how would that work if all you have is a blurry picture of a dog/owner and a pile of poop?

Is there any way of persuading people that cleaning up after their dog is the best thing to do? Frankly, it they can't be bothered to clean up outside a busy school gate that to me suggests someone who really does not give a **** about where they live - and is there any realistic way of getting through to someone like that?

Sorry, rant over. Does anyone have any ideas? And can anyone solve the mystery of the person who paints round the poo in yellow?!!! I completely applaud their desire to highlight this, but am intrigued about their method.

Tags for Forum Posts: dog, dog poo, passage

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alison P on February 16, 2008 at 19:33
Thanks all, am glad I am not the only one who fumes about this. And of course Hannah is right - this happens everywhere, not just the ladder. Another issue to add to our list for discussion in a few weeks ...

I'd not realised the point Adam made re street cleaners. That does sound a bit barmy and well worth bringing up with the powers that be. In fact, I saw a troop of cleaners (well 3) just after I started this post. They were working their way down the passage cleaning up every last bit. Whether individual cleaners do this I don't know.

(Amusingly, Adam and I met for the first time in the passage today. Right next to a new little pile of doggy wonder.)
Permalink Reply by PeterPiper on February 16, 2008 at 20:39
At the LCSP meeting on Thursday evening, one of the members told us about a mechanical pooper-scooper he'd seen on a camp site last year which he thought would be ideal for the jobbies. He'd researched it & discovered it would cost about £13,000.00! Approximately a grand per Passage section.

As I understand it, the information would be forwarded to Haringey Council / Accord. We wait & wait. Not a single meeting goes by without the LCSP discussing the matter and referring it to the relevant bodies responsible. However, as usual where are the enforcement team to tackle the recalcitrant dog owners?

BTW, did you know that Haringey has one! dog warden for the whole of the borough? Makes you weep / laugh?

Hugh, I think your little signs might make a difference if only to sow doubt into the minds of the mindless.
Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 16, 2008 at 21:14
They were just for a bit of light relief yesterday with so much talk of vomit and dog shit!
Permalink Reply by Alison P on February 16, 2008 at 21:23
I dunno. Not convinced signs will make a difference, or even the little white flags someone mentioned earlier - the kids at SHJS put up signs last year and I don't think they made much difference, and the new council signs are pretty clear. And the yellow paint!

The really frustrating thing is that I suspect it is only a handfull of dog owners who are responsible. I'd love to see someone actually prosecuted as maybe that would hit home. But how - I've never seen anyone in the act, so to speak! And if I did I'm not sure I'd automatically tackle them - a friend of mine had a pretty scary time when she did this in fins park.

Blimey. Saturday night and I'm ranting about dog poo. That is sad.
Permalink Reply by Liz on February 17, 2008 at 11:15
Not sad Alison. It's no joke when it gets on your buggy wheels and you walk it into the house.
I'm also convinced that the irresponsible dog owners are not all young lads with ugly dogs (indeed I saw a lad cleaning his dog's doings up the other day, I could have hugged him, hey hug a hoody!) judging by the number of little ol' ladies and middle-aged gentlemen I see disappearing down the passage with their hounds.
The swine who left the dog poo outside the school should have their nose rubbed in it, still the children of Harringay are a nimble-footed lot...future football stars and ballet stars.
Now I'm sad, beautiful Sunday Morning and I'm ranting about dog poo.
Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2008 at 12:47
How about we look at this from a different viewpoint. If there's doggie do's on the pavement owners can (in ascending order of preference):

1. Leave it - do nothing.
2. Cover it - put something highly visible over it to minimise risk.
3. Shove it - clear it to the side, or gutter.
4. Scoop it.

Seems to me that people gonna do what they're gonna do. Changing behaviour is a longer-term project.

So if you can't get people to scoop it or shove it , how about creating an easier to cover it; beats the leave it option.

So what about:
- finding out what an effective and portable cover it option would look like,
- think about the design - highly visible with a message on to let everyone know it's there and perhaps to even win a few converts and encourage behaviour change - humour can work wonders.
- make them available to dog owners and others in the area (if they want to carrry a few to cover as they walk)
- apply for a grant to fund it under the making a difference scheme.

Totally bonkers?
Permalink Reply by Liz on February 17, 2008 at 13:10
If they can't be bothered to carry a plastic bag to pick it up, they ain't going to carry a cover.
Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2008 at 13:16
You're making some untested assumptions there. Is it that they can't be bothered to carry the bag or is it that they don't want to bend down and pick up doggie do's?
Permalink Reply by Liz on February 17, 2008 at 14:10
Am I Hugh? perhaps you are disappointed that I should be so negative but the people that see nothing wrong in leaving poo in front of a school gate are unlikely to be swayed by humour or threats.
Supplying them would be problematic. People moaned about supplying their own recycling bags.
The way I see it, if you take responsibility for another living thing, be it a baby, a dog or a hamster you have to take responsibility for cleaning up its shit.
On a more positive note, South Harringay Infants Parent Staff association have plans to green a space between the school and the new children's centre and have applied for a grant from 'Breathing Spaces' I'll see if the chair wants to tell us more about the project.
Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2008 at 14:34
Not disappointed - debating the point, Liz. I completely agree with you about what people should do. I'm trying to focus on what some people (and dogs) actually do do....and that's do-dos......as and when they want.

In the absence of any other way of tackling it, I was just trying to think laterally. As I said maybe it's bonkers. But wd it be? Wd you as a mum keep some in the back of the pram and occasionally throw one down as a good neighbour, for example? Even iof the miscreant dog owners won't help (but some might), the community can. It'll also make the problem high visible (for safety and drawing attention to the issue) as well as photogenic.
Permalink Reply by rahman on February 17, 2008 at 13:13
Perhaps if the passage looked a bit nicer, dog owners would feel less comfortable allowing their dogs to poop there? at the mo, after dark, the passage just looks like a dingy alley. maybe a bit of greenery or some murals? im probably being a bit optimistic here....
Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2008 at 13:17
That's a good point. It may well help. So maybe a making the difference bid to prettify the passage?

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