The search is on for more Green Dog Walkers after a successful pilot in Ryedale.
The District Council wants to make sure the good practices of many dog owners are shared and celebrated.
The Green Dog Walkers scheme began in Falkirk in Scotland and has now been adopted by over 40 councils across the UK.
It is described as a non-confrontational and friendly way to change attitudes about dog poo fouling the streets.
Green Dog Walkers are role models for responsible dog ownership and sign up to the pledge to always:
- Clean up after their dog
- Carry extra dog waste bags
- Be happy to be approached to ‘lend’ a dog poo bag to those without
- Be friendly reminder to other dog walkers to clean up after their dogs
Ryedale District Council says Dog owners who take the pledge will play a part in helping to keep their communities free from dog fouling. They will receive a free dog collar and tag.
Council officers from the Community team launched a pilot of the scheme at the Castle Howard Festival of Dogs in May and have since promoted it at several events.
The authority also held a sign up event in the grounds at Ryedale House during Bring Your Dog to Work Day on 24 June for staff and councillors to take the pledge.
Over 95 people have now signed up and after a successful pilot the Council is officially launching the project across the district.
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Margaret Wallace, Programme Director for People and Resources at Ryedale District Council, said:
“The Green Dog Walkers scheme is a fantastic community initiative to encourage responsible dog ownership.
“Unfortunately, we do receive some complaints about dog fouling in our district and this scheme is one of the ways we are tackling this issue.
“It has been really well received by our staff and the public in the pilot we have been running and we’re thrilled to now launch it across the district.
“I would encourage all our dog owners in Ryedale to take the pledge and sign up to this scheme.”
Residents and visitors can sign the Green Dog Walkers pledge online via the Council’s public consultation and engagement platform Commonplace.