Community Concerns about Dog Poo

Concern about the presence of dog poo in public places such as streets, parks and on beaches has often rated highly in public opinion surveys. Some residents also object to dogs defecating in their unfenced front gardens. The amenity impacts of dog poo include people's distaste about stepping in it, the odour, the flies it attracts and its unsightliness. One lot of dog poo left lying around tends to send a message that it's okay and can lead to other dog owners not picking up.

These concerns often result in high levels of community complaints to councils, placing significant pressure on councils to do something about the problem.

Statistics

In a survey of 320 Melbourne households, 60% of all respondents (including 45% of dog owning respondents) stated they were 'strongly concerned' about the issue of dog poo in public places (response options being 'strongly concerned', 'moderately concerned', 'slightly concerned' or 'not at all concerned'). From a total of fifteen issues relating to pets wandering at large, dog poo in public places was ranked as the seventh highest issue of concern (Van de Kuyt, 2003).
A Western Australian survey, conducted by the City of Stirling, found that 83% of residents were 'offended' by dog faeces in public places, with 57% stating they were 'very much offended' (Liversage, 1995).
A South Australian survey, prepared for the Dog and Cat Management Board of SA, asked 500 Adelaide residents whether they supported a number of dog control strategies that could be implemented by local councils. From a total of six strategies (including dog confinement, registration and leash laws), the greatest support was for a requirement that dog owners 'clean up dog droppings' (Matthews, 1999).
A national survey of 1,011 adults revealed that around 30% of respondents believed dogs 'constantly' or 'frequently' used the neighbourhood park as a toilet facility (McHarg, et al, 1995).
A survey of 500 Victorian residents found that just over 40% of respondents 'strongly' or 'somewhat agreed' that there were too many dog droppings in streets and parks (Lescun, 1990).
Some authors suggest caution with the results of public opinion surveys on the issue, particularly where questions are prompted or negatively worded, in case this encourages over-reporting or stronger reactions from respondents. Jackson (2000) reports on a survey that revealed less than a quarter of respondents nominated dog poo as a major issue, when they were asked unprompted to nominate the main problems associated with dogs. Later in the survey however, when prompted with the specific issue of dog poo, almost 60% considered it to be a major problem.
Research has found that community concern about pet issues such as dog poo in public places is associated with a poor opinion of pet owners, a negative opinion of council animal management services, less support for dog off leash exercise areas and increased support for legislative controls on pet ownership. (Van de Kuyt, 2003).
Some experts argue that in addition to problems arising from dogs off leash behaving badly, dog faeces is one of the main reasons why dogs are banned from certain public places (e.g. beaches) (Murray, Penridge, 1997).
People who don't own pets, along with cat owners, tend to be more concerned about the issue of dog poo in public places than are dog owners (Van de Kuyt, 2003).