Clean up after your dog

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

People who allow their dogs to foul in parks, open spaces and the road without cleaning up after them not only are inconsiderate and obnoxious; they endanger the sight and the lives of children.

In Manchester a two-year old little girl could lose the sight of one her eyes because she fell into dog's mess at Platt Fields Park, Manchester.

The child had run towards the gate of a fenced off area in the park but fell down in dog dirt and rubbed her eyes before her mother could get to her. Despite the fact that her mother managed to clean her eyes and wash it, the toddler woke up early the next morning with swollen eyes and was taken to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where doctors confirmed that she was suffering from toxocariasis.

Toxocariasis is carried in dog feces and can lead to complete blindness or even death if not treated within 72 hours. Though the girl has been released from the hospital doctors believe that she might lose some sight in one of her eyes.

This is one of the many reasons that in the Romani-Gypsy Culture dogs (and cats) are considered unclean and are never permitted to enter a true Gypsy household, even though the Romani People may, originally, not even have know of the disease.

It is such a sad state of affairs that dog owners are so inconsiderate in parks and open spaces that a child could lose her eyesight simply of the fact that someone could not be bothered to pick up the mess that his or her pet deposited.

We can observe it again and again daily of how dog owners will ensure that they are a “safe distance” ahead of their dog when they walk it so as to not to be able to see that the dog performed and then, when challenged by Rangers become abusive to the extent, at times, of threatening physical violence.

Some are that inconsiderate and ignorant that they deliberately take their dogs into areas that clearly are marked as “no dogs allowed” and then state “but he is on a lead” or such.

In some countries, Germany amongst them, there is now a little idea taking hold where small flags are planted in dog's mess that identify that this mess is looking for an owner to take care of it, in an attempt to shame people into being responsible.

This seems to be, at times, the only way to go as a quiet word and any attempt in teaching them to be responsible dog owners does not seem to sink in at all.

What will it take? A death of a child from toxocariasis?

© 2010