IF YOU TAKE your dog for a walk at two Co Clare beaches don’t be surprised if you hear a voice in your ear telling you to make sure you pooch doesn’t poo on the sand.
No seriously, last month Clare County Council installed an audio system at beaches in Kilkee and Lahinch that broadcast some anti-dog poo messages like:
“Respect the Banner and keep Lahinch clean”, “Bin your litter or take it home” and “Always pick up after your dog and enjoy your walk.”
Before you poo poo the idea, listen to the vice-chair of the council Tony O’Brien who says that the idea seems to be working.
“The devices have been installed since 16 July and early figures suggest that they are already helping to change people’s behaviour. There has been a 50% reduction in dog fouling in Kilkee, while incidences of dog fouling have more than halved in Lahinch,” he reports.
“It is becoming socially unacceptable for people to litter or to leave dog foul on the footpath, and people want to lend their support to such devices.”
Clare County Council take the lead in providing up to date dog stats and says that there were 1,472 dogs at Lahinch beach in just one week last month. Kilkee also proves popular with 1,008 dogs in the same period.
But the council digs even deeper, measuring peak times for dog walking in ‘dogs per hour’. Lahinch seems to get the most dog walking action between 7-8pm with 20 dogs per hour.
Kilkee owners like to walk dogs a little earlier with a peak 15 dogs per hour between 3-5pm.
So there, your completely non-official fact of the day, dog walking is measured in ‘dph’, remember it.
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