Wandering dogs

ARE you a caring dog owner, or do you allow your dog to wander around the street, perhaps at night after the council dog ranger has gone home for the night, or even very early in the morning before the working day begins? If you do, then you have little thought for the health or safety of your dog.

Apart from the obvious danger it faces of being killed or injured crossing roads or even driveway accesses, it can also be the victim of poison bait; unthinking children causing injuries; questionable or diseased food, rubbish or carrion on the roads; dog thieves; or fights with stray or disease-carrying dogs that cross its path. And I'm sure in five minutes you could think of many other danger areas.

As well as this it can be blamed for biting or attacking someone and you will not be able to defend it - you were not there so you have no way of knowing if the dog was provoked, teased or even itself attacked. Are you so flush with money that you don't have to worry about veterinary bills, or is it that you simply do not care and just let the dog out night and morning so that it can poo on someone else's lawn?

Whatever the answer to that last question, I am of the opinion that such people should not own dogs. It is not hard to scoop the poop from your own lawn, so why cause the anger and frustration of neighbours by passing that particular maintenance job on to them? If you want a dog in your family and all the rewards and good times it brings, then you must realise that you are also responsible for its health, safety, behaviour and well-being.

Perhaps you have simply not thought about poop disposal? Is this a problem for you? Then you should sit down and work out the best way to handle that problem. Here are some suggestions that may help you, or you may think of some more that may suit you better:

• Hang a plastic supermarket bag at the bottom of your garden and keep a shovel, scooper, trowel or similar tool near it, preferably with the business end stuck into the soil of your garden. Scoop poo daily into the plastic bag and put the plastic bag at the end of the week into your rubbish collection bag.
• There are 'dog toilets' that can be bought from various outlets - these are located in a suitable spot in your yard. You then must train your dog to use it (make the successful use of the toilet a fun or rewarding action for your dog and you will have no problems).
• Train your dog to use the same area of your yard every time he toilets - you still need to scoop daily to keep the area clean and healthy for the dog to use.
• Dig a hole in your yard for poop disposal and fill in regularly and dig a new one. You will need to keep the hole covered at all times for the sake of health and hygiene (both you and your dog).
• Do you maintain a working garden compost system? This can be ideal!

I know there are many other ways of disposal that have been worked out by various owners, so there is just no excuse for the lazy ones who persistently let their dog out of the yard for their morning or evening poo. This says more about the owner than about the dog!

The responsible owner makes sure there is a safe, fenced area that the dog can play in and enjoy, where there is access to the house and water and shade, and where visitors to the house do not need to come in contact with the dog. Outings and walks must be with the owner or a suitable, responsible person. - Liz Peters