Doggone!

An interesting debate is developing about dog poo in the UK (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2009/feb/11/dog-fouling-britain). It has been estimated that the country's more than 7 million dogs generate around 1,000 tonnes of dog mess per day. It certainly gets up people's noses as it's one of the most complained about environmental issues and many councils devote considerable resources (and expense) to dealing with the brown substance. There are diametrically opposed views, ranging from people who would like to see dogs banned from public places (like parks) to pet owners who think their shitsu can do no wrong. In between are responsible pet owners who always clear up after Fido and parents who simply want to separate their children from dog mess (and its attendant dangers, including the possibility of taking in eggs from the Toxocara worm that can cause illness and even blindness). Some countries, notably Iceland, formerly banned dogs entirely (in this case because of concerns about hydatid cysts caused by another worm) and dogs are reported to be still unwelcome in some Icelandic places to the present day. Another problem with dog mesh in the UK is the passage of disease to wild UK mammals, especially the Red fox. This is really a mess (especially on my regular running route)!