Are you tired of seeing steaming fresh dog poo along the road? It is Oline Fiva Aukrust (21). She studies near Maskinisten in Bodø, and often takes her dog Koda on walks in the local area. This time she also has news with her. After just under fifty metres, we have seen a lot of dog poo along the path. – I get so frustrated, says Aukrust. – There is poo everywhere. Aukrust is missing several measures that make it easier for those who walk their dogs to get rid of the poo. – The dog bag racks around popular hiking areas are a very good start, but perhaps a map can also be created online, so that people know where they are. Also any signs that remind people to pick up after themselves, in the same way as the signs about restraining orders. Do you pick up after your dog? Yes, of course Sometimes No I don’t have a dog Show result She could also imagine consequences for those who still don’t clean up after their dogs. – I think there should be a fine if you are caught. DRITLEI: Oline Fiva Aukrust is frustrated by all the dog poo lying along the paths Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news Dog owners’ responsibility The Norwegian Kennel Club says it is always the dog owners’ responsibility to clean up after the four-legged ones. – It is irresponsible not to do so, says communications advisor Anne Livø Buvik. She says that it usually helps if the municipality facilitates, for example by setting up rubbish bins in popular hiking areas. – Tromsø municipality carried out a very successful campaign a few years ago, facilitating and encouraging dog owners to pick up. Photo: PRESSEFOTO / NKK Can be fined for leaving poop Several Norwegian municipalities have their own regulations that require those walking their dogs to clean up after themselves. If you break one of these regulations, you can in theory be fined. Bodø is one of the municipalities that has such a regulation. Gudrun Hagen, adviser in the section for sports and outdoor life in Bodø municipality, says the municipality has made good arrangements so that dog excrement should not be a problem. – The racks with bags and bins next to them have led to a significant improvement, after these were introduced a number of years ago. Furthermore, a lot of dog poo is thrown into other rubbish bins. But even if the municipality makes arrangements and instructs dog owners to clean up, the poo is strewn along pavements and footpaths. No consequences nevertheless news has contacted all the police districts in Norway to find out if the laziness has any consequences. Not all the police districts have responded to the inquiry, but those who responded say the same thing. Neither Finnmark, Troms, Nordland, East nor South-East police districts have issued fines related to cleaning up dog poo. – Nordland police district cannot find any cases where the police district has issued a summons or other punishment for violations related to failure to pick up dog excrement. That’s what Stig Morten Løkkebakken, head of prosecution in the Nordland police district, says. Always cleans up after the dog Back in the Machinist, we don’t have to go far before the dog Koda knows nature’s call. When the dog does something forbidden, Oline Fiva Aukrust is quick to find the bag. – Do you pick up every time? – Absolutely. The only exception is if we are really in no man’s land, and the dog is doing its thing far away from public paths. Aukrust points out that it is important to pick up after the dog, not only because the faeces look ugly along the road, but also to prevent infection. If there is no place to throw the bag, Aukrust takes it with him. – I have a separate pocket in my jacket, dedicated to taking the dog poo. I get some strange looks from time to time, but I can’t just let it get in the way, she says. Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news
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Oline (21) wants fines for those who leave dog poo lying around – news Nordland
