Tuesday 17 August 2010

Everyone’s Got The Art Bug!

NickM at ‘Counting Cats…’ regales us with the latest art craze to issue from the fundament (literally!) of the loony progressive arts movement.

Now, it seems a council is getting in on the act:
Piles of dog mess have been spray-painted bright green by a Dorset council to try to shock owners into picking up their pets' waste.
I hate to tell anyone how to suck eggs, but if they are happy to let their dog crap in the street without poop-scooping, they are probably happy to leave it there no matter WHAT colour it is.

Some people just think they’re above that sort of thing, after all.
Poole council took the action after about 200 piles of mess were found in an alley near Poole High School.

Workers are still cleaning mess on the paths but any piles on the grass verges in the area will be painted and, if not removed, cleared up after a week.
‘On the grass verges…’ And you’re painting the poo green?

Is it me, or..?
Opposition councillor Brian Clements said it was a "bizarre thing to do".
Oh, you’re not wrong, Brian.
The Liberal Democrat added: "My first sense would be to catch the people who let their dogs foul and take action against them.

"These council workers should be spending the time finding these people not painting piles of dog poo, it is a very bizarre thing to do."
Ah, but you see, the sort of people that let their dogs crap where they please are often the sort of people who wouldn’t take kindly to a council worker pointing that out.

Much, much easier – and safer! – to trot around with a pot of paint. Less chance of a trip to A&E.
Shaun Robson, head of environmental services, said: "Dog fouling is a real concern for residents of Poole.

"Unfortunately we have a small minority that don't seem to get the message.

"We hope the paint will help highlight the size of the problem and change people's behaviour.

"We do our best to catch people but it is very difficult and we have to think of new ways, like this idea."
Yes, indeed. You have to think of new ways that don’t involve..err… actually catching people….

13 comments:

PJH said...

Workers are still cleaning mess on the paths but any piles on the grass verges in the area will be painted and, if not removed, cleared up after a week.

If they're wasting council tax-payers money on people to go around looking for dog shit, without actually bothering to try and catch the owners, wouldn't they be better off armed with a pooper scooper than a can of paint the first time round?

After all, if they're being paid to do something, then they might as well do something constructive like what they're supposed to do instead of something that's going to have little to no effect.

Hell, some dog owners might see this as a challenge and see how many lumps of bright green dog shit they can get in a week.

Or is that just me?

Furor Teutonicus said...

They are discussing the possibility here, of banning people from owning a dog for so many years, once they clock up so many offences.

Good idea.

There is NO,excuse to own a dog, unless it be for proffessional purposes, or as a "helper".

Furor Teutonicus said...

Follow ups

PJH said...

FT:They are discussing the possibility here, of banning people from owning a dog for so many years, once they clock up so many offences.

(Presuming dog-related littering offences - ) Interesting idea.

What are they planning on doing with the dogs they'll be confiscating?

Woman on a Raft said...

Poole BC was the outfit responsible for misusing RIPA to investigate applicants for school places.

The found the dosh to put dedicated surveillance on the family early in the morning and evening, which can't have been cheap.

At least if they had used the snoopers for investigating dog walkers they would have had something approaching a crime (is dog fouling a crime? - not sure), although it was never exactly what was intended by the architects of the act.

Furor Teutonicus said...

PJH said...

What are they planning on doing with the dogs they'll be confiscating?


No idea. Who cares? Filthy bloody shit machines. Put them down for all I care.

MTG said...

I am not pro mass gassing, Furor.

Spray painting irresponsible dog owners with finally atomised faeces is more likely to appeal to a wider audience of fringe art.

Furor Teutonicus said...

MTG. This time I can agree with you. Good idea.

AntiCitizenOne said...

> There is NO,excuse to own a dog

Yes there is. You want one is a good enough reason.

Now if you prove yourself irresponsible then you should be denied one.

So kindly FO fascist and take your code napoleon shite with you.

Furor Teutonicus said...

Woman in our Road. 60M² flat. Middle of a city. Four Rothweillers producing more shit than a week in Parliament.

NOW tell me she should have them "because she wants them.

PJH said...

FT:Four Rothweillers

So, because one person takes the piss, we should deny it to everyone?

I don't think so, somehow.

You may be more than happy with that sort of legislation in Germany, but we certainly don't want it over here.

(Not that it's stopping the calls for things such as 50p/unit for ethanol because a minority are taking the piss when getting pissed.)

blueknight said...

We hope the paint will help highlight the size of the problem ...
Too much information.

JuliaM said...

"Hell, some dog owners might see this as a challenge and see how many lumps of bright green dog shit they can get in a week.

Or is that just me?"


Nope! ;)

"At least if they had used the snoopers for investigating dog walkers they would have had something approaching a crime..."

Indeed. Perhaps the thought that the transgressing dog walker might be in possession of a lethal weapon (the dog) put them off?

"NOW tell me she should have them "because she wants them."

The number of dogs isn't the problem. t's the fact that she doesn't clean up after them.

She'd be as likely not to do that if she had one poodle.

I'm all for irresponsible owners being targetted. MTG's spray idea is a good one!