Green Dog Walkers South Edinburgh

08/04/2016

Why have the piles of poo turned Orange?

We are campaigning in the Hermitage of Braid
to encourage responsible dog walkers
Please pick up after your dog(s) and put bags in a bin not in a bush

email [email protected]

05/04/2016

Keep Scotland Beautiful has produced a series of new posters to remind dog owners and walkers that the on the spot fine for dog fouling has been increased to £80 from the first of April.

05/04/2016

Drawing attention to the problem of discarded dog dirt in the Reserve and Hill
On Sunday on Blackford Hill we were able to draw attention to the dog poo problem by spraying the offending objects with orange paint. One family found at least 36 piles of poo, another volunteer at least a dozen; both in a very short period.
Other volunteers reported that there were gorse bushes full of discarded poo bags which is almost more difficult to understand.
The paint used is temporary, biodegradable and non toxic but will last long enough to get the message across.
PLEASE WILL DOG OWNERS AND WALKERS ACT RESPONSIBLY FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL. It does seem that we need to shout!

05/04/2016

Green dog walking stall at the Clean for the Queen Event on Blackford Hill.

On Sunday we were able to join the Friends of the Hermitage in their annual litter pick, this year for the Queen. We were able to share with dog walkers the aims of the Green Dog Walking initiative. We even got one sign up. More stalls to follow around the Reserve and in Braidburn Valley Park now the weather is better.

08/02/2016

Tougher penalties for irresponsible dog owners.

The fine for dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets has been doubled by the Scottish Parliament.

The fixed penalty for dog fouling is being increased from £40 to £80 to bring it in to line with the fine for littering.

The change comes after the overwhelming majority of responses to a Scottish Government consultation on responsible dog ownership said they would support the fixed penalty being raised. The Dog Fouling (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Order 2016 takes effect on 1 April 2016.

Nearly a third of people experience animal nuisance (dog fouling or animal noise) as a very or fairly common problem, according to the Scottish Household Surveys of 2013 and 2014.

As well as the fixed penalty, the Scottish Government is also considering how to develop a more robust system to tackle the issue of collecting unpaid penalties.

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Paul Wheelhouse, said:

“Dog fouling is not only unpleasant, but also can pose potentially significant risks to health, particularly for children, and we’re very clear that dog owners who do not clear up after their dogs are breaking the law.

“We believe the increased penalty will act as a greater deterrent for people who do not take responsibility for their pets and clean up after them.

“Our public consultation has shown us that we have public opinion behind us in an effort to get tougher on dog fouling and to tackle an issue that affects all too many communities across the country.”

Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful said:

“We welcome the doubling of the fixed penalty notice for dog fouling, a measure supported by 63% of people asked in a YouGov Poll commissioned by Keep Scotland Beautiful in August 2015.

“Increasing the fine to £80 is a positive step in the right direction and will send a clear message to irresponsible dog owners that their actions have a negative impact on people and communities. However, increased fines form only part of the solution and that is why we are leading a national stakeholder group to develop an action plan on the issue."

16/01/2016

Just to remind you why we love dogs (though don't like owners who do not pick up) If you walk your dog in Braidburn Valley Park or the Hermitage of Braid in South Edinburgh, please join the campaign
[email protected]

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16/01/2016

Green Dog Walking
A Scheme to encourage picking up after dogs
New email address [email protected]

Green Dog Walkers (GDW) is a non-confrontational, friendly way to change attitudes about dog fouling. Volunteers wear Green Dog Walker identification which signifies that they have “taken the pledge” to always:

• clean up after their dog
• wear green dog walker identification when walking their dog
• carry extra dog poo bags
• be happy to be asked for a dog poo bag
• be a visible and friendly reminder to other dog walkers to clean up after their dogs

Seeing a green dog walker acts as a friendly reminder to other dog walkers to ‘please pick up’.

The Friends of Braidburn Valley Park and the Friends of the Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill in South Edinburgh have combined to set up a schme. We have been successful in applying for a grant from The South Neighbourhood Team. All we need now are volunteers to offer to join the scheme.
We are now looking for people to join the scheme to assist to discourage dog fouling in the Park and the Reserve. Contact [email protected]

16/01/2016

Great News! The South Edinburgh Green Dog Walkers have been successful in getting a grant from the South Neighbourhood Partnership. We received the funds in December to enable us to promote the scheme.
Watch out for us in Braidburn Valley Park and the Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill Reserve.

16/01/2016

Here is the Tea in the Park Dog Show Best in worthy wonner Show Winner.

12/09/2015

The Tea in the Park Fun Dog Show succeeded beyond anything I expected. We had a glorious day and the warm September sun brought out every shape and size of dog imaginable. We welcomed over 150 dogs. And they were all so well behaved ! Everyone was in a great mood and took everything with good humour. I'm still waiting for the prizewinners photographs but here are some general photographs. My only regret is that the Green Dog Walker stall was swamped by spectators.

04/09/2015

Here are the bags of biscuits that I made up last night as prizes for children who enter the dog show. Look forward to seeing you all at the dog show in Braidburn Valley Park at 2 pm.

03/09/2015

The dog show arrangements are hotting up.
Still not sure how many dogs will enter but really looking forward to it. Hope to see you all in Braidburn Valley Park on Saturday 5th. Registration starts at 2 pm - come early to register and then enjoy the other events until the dog show begins at 3 pm sharp.
I went to get the biscuits today from Pets at Home and asked for some biscuits for the biscuit throwing event.

They were so generous and gave us 4 big bags of biscuits. My dog is being driven mad by the smell while I put them into little bags for participating dogs.