Irresponsible attitude to Dollys doings

SIR – In response to a recent letter, ‘Not collecting Dolly’s doings!’ penned by Robert Sullivan in which he highlights his irresponsible attitude to the common problem of dog fouling, if the gentleman involved feels that humans were not born to perform such a task, then perhaps he should look a tad harder at all the other things we as a society do to make the lives of our human companions as well as our animal ones some degree easier.

The topic of responsible animal ownership has been aired in the media many times in recent months, dog fouling being one of the most common issues. Fortunately the majority of the population are taking the time and effort to change their ways and, little by little, our once filthy streets are becoming less of a minefield.

As an organisation, we (RAWR) read this letter with utter dismay. RAWR have gone to great lengths to set up bins and bag dispensers in Bantry town as part of our effort to turn the tide and educate the community on our duty as animal owners. As adults, we are responsible for teaching our future generations and such irresponsible attitudes as those displayed by Mr Sullivan only serve to undermine the dedication of others.

We would strongly suggest that he ‘evolve’ into a responsible member of society and clean up his dog’s dropping like all the rest of us. Not only is he being blatantly irresponsible in his actions, he is serving to detract from the attractiveness of our town and the enjoyment and health of what is his local community.

There are several places in and near the Bantry area that people no longer walk their dogs on a regular basis. This is due to people not cleaning up, which makes our walks more of an assault course in the attempt to avoid large steaming piles of dog excrement. Having to wash your dog’s feet after a walk because someone else could not be bothered cleaning up, is a far dirtier job than scooping the poop.

With regard to the comparison made between the law surrounding dog fouling and that of birds and furry creatures, we would have to question the logic behind such thinking. How many times have you read about the problem of mouse, rabbit or any other wildlife droppings on our streets?

A comparison is only valid when you have similarities to compare; the lack of such evidence here lets Mr Sullivan’s argument lacking in substance and validity.

Even if Mr Sullivan’s letter was written with his tongue in his cheek, we would urge all responsible citizens to recognise the wrongs in his argument and to recognise the danger to health, particularly that of our children, which dog poop carries. We hope that all responsible members of society will help us in our endeavour to improve our community and nurture positive attitudes towards animal ownership and our duty as responsible members of a progressive society.

Deirdre O’Brien,

PRO of RAWR, and

Jennifer Carroll,

Veterinary nurse and director, RAWR,

Bantry.