by Sandra Flynn
Check out this one-minute video clip from Dog’s Trust – sound familiar? Still interested? Then read on…
John and I relocated to Skibbereen from Ballincollig/ Ovens in the summer of 2017 along with our two golden retrievers, Ellie (now 12) and Rainbow (almost 8). Establishing regular walking routes for the dogs was important for their routine and having grown up in Skibbereen I knew my way around. One of the things that I was delighted to see was the placement of dog waste bag (mutt mitt) dispensers at several locations on the popular walking routes around the town.
While I would normally have a handful of doggy bags from Aldi in my pocket, from time to time I would get caught out and it’s great to know that whatever route I’m taking, a mutt mitt isn’t too far away. I have no doubt that replenishing supplies of these is a costly expense for Cork County Council but one that is very much appreciated by responsible dog owners amongst us.
The presence of dog poop is an issue for every town and this year the Dog’s Trust sponsored a special award in the Tidy Towns competition. “The Big Scoop Award aims to encourage dog owners to take responsibility and pick up after their dogs, thus reducing the amount of dog poop being left in public spaces.” Joint winners of the award were Ashbourne in Co. Meath and Dromod in Co. Leitrim and we look forward to learning more about their approaches to managing dog poop in their towns.
The #bagitbinit campaign is one that responsible owners are very familiar with but unfortunately this does not apply to all dog owners. On a recent walk with my dogs I spotted a mutt mitt carelessly disposed of on a wall along the Rock Loop walk.
The intention may have been to toss it over the wall but it didn’t quite get there. Either way this is unacceptable behaviour on the part of the dog owner. (Please note that I since returned with my litter picker to retrieve and deposit appropriately #2minutestreetclean).
This brings us to the question of dedicated poop bins. From my years living on the outskirts of Ballincollig, the red bins (such as the one in the photo below) increased in number based on the demand for them, and yes, there was a demand. These bins were, and no doubt continue to be, regularly used by dog owners along the popular walking routes. On the weekly morning the bins were due to be emptied by Cork County Council there would be quite a smell from all the deposits (Mutt Mitts were not in use and are undeniably very strong bags for the purpose). I felt for the council team emptying the bins but overall it was certainly a more hygienic option than have no dedicated poop bins at all.
Currently there are no such bins in Skibbereen. As a result, responsible dog owners do one of two things. Either they deposit the bag in a regular litter bin supplied by Cork County Council or one of the supermarkets who have litter bins installed outside their premises, or they take the bag home. So, what is it that I’m confessing to? Well, in the absence of dedicated poop bins I’m in the category that uses public litter bins (thank you Aldi and Lidl, both along my regular walking route and occasionally the county council litter bin outside the Bank of Ireland).
So, how about it Cork County Council? A couple of dedicated poop bins, one on the bypass by the western roundabout and one at the corner of Mardyke Park and Coronea, adjacent to where mutt mitt dispensers are currently placed. The responsible dog owners of Skibbereen would be very grateful and who knows, it might even encourage others to follow suit?
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If you are interested in becoming involved with Skibbereen Tidy Towns please contact us at 087-6220132 or by email at skibbereentidytowns@icloud.com.
Featured image courtesy of Pixabay
Tidy Towns logo courtesy of SustainableSkibbereen
Skibbereen Tidy Towns 