Canine I.D. photos will be used to help collar irresponsible dog owners who allow their animals to soil Glasgow’s streets and open spaces.
As winter looms and dog walkers cover up with hats and scarves – mugshots of their pets will be used to help identify people who fail to clean up after their pets.
Drumchapel Housing Co-operative is the latest social landlord in Glasgow to sign up to the city’s campaign against dog fouling. Clean Glasgow and Glasgow Community & Safety Services (GCSS) have received fantastic public support for their campaign against those who create a health hazard by failing to clean up after their dogs.
Irate members of the public have been ringing the Clean Glasgow hotline to report people they see leaving their dogs’ dirt behind. CCTV images are also being used to capture culprits on film and housing associations and co-operatives are assisting officers from GCSS to identify those responsible.
Drumchapel Housing Co-op holds a photographic register of their tenants’ pets as well as details of the name, age, breed, colour, sex and a written description of each animal. This enables housing officers to identify the owners of pets in the event of antisocial behaviour such as continual barking, dog fouling or aggression towards other animals or humans.
The landlord currently has 150 animals on file and owners responsible for antisocial behaviour, such as dog fouling, are in breach of their tenancy agreement. They will receive a fixed penalty notice and ultimately risk losing their homes if they fail to clean up their act.
Clean Glasgow and GCSS are urging other housing associations who have signed up to the campaign to adopt a similar photographic pet register scheme. The photos of dogs are checked against CCTV images and witness reports to help identify irresponsible owners.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council which runs Clean Glasgow, said: “Pet registers such as the one compiled by Drumchapel Housing Co-operative are very useful for establishing the identity of the owners of animals involved in antisocial behaviour.
“It doesn’t matter who is walking the dog and fails to clean up after it, the tenant is responsible for any animal registered at their home.
“Our anti dog fouling campaign has had very encouraging results so far. We’ve heard from witnesses that offenders who have been fined have changed their ways and are now picking up after their pets. Animal registers are another weapon in the battle to change people’s habits and force them to act responsibly.”
Rani Dhir MBE of Drumchapel Housing Co-op, said dog fouling was a major concern for tenants who believe tackling it should be a main priority.
She said: “We welcome wholeheartedly the introduction of the Clean Glasgow Dog Fouling Charter. We know it is working as we have had a number of telephone calls not only from our tenants but also from Glasgow Community and Safety Services where we have used our information and theirs to identify the owners of dogs found roaming freely and fouling the area. This Charter is a great approach to working in partnership and we had no hesitation in signing up to it.
“We have been encouraging our tenants to report any antisocial behaviour involving dogs which may have been fouling or causing a nuisance. We intend to follow up their reports where we have good evidence.
“We also recognise that there are many responsible dog owners who have registered their dogs, take them out only on a leash and clean up after them – they need have no concerns that their pets will be a target.”
Since the anti dog fouling campaign started on August 1, 109 fixed penalty notices have been issued to irresponsible dog owners caught by information from the general public, CCTV footage, and reports from social landlords and Clean Glasgow officers.
Sixty-three Glasgow housing associations and co-operatives with thousands of homes have signed up to the city’s dog fouling charter.
If you have information about an irresponsible dog owner please call the Clean Glasgow campaign on 0800 027 7027.