Maxi Zoo survey finds one in 10 owners embarrassed to pick up dog poop

Photo shows Emma Fanning, brand ambassador and training and livestock manager at Maxi Zoo Ireland, with Ciarán O’Neill, managing director of Maxi Zoo Ireland. Photo: Julien Behal

Ireland is facing a serious dog fouling problem that is increasingly being discussed as one of the major urban issues in Ireland.

In fact, during the recent local elections, one of the biggest complaints that many candidates heard on the doorsteps of Ireland, was the issue of dog fouling – and were asked if elected what would the candidates do about it.

In light of this Maxi Zoo, Ireland’s largest pet retailer, commissioned a survey to look into dog owners’ attitudes and behaviours on the subject of dog fouling.

Interestingly, with some 2,000 responses, the survey found that 93% of dog owners believe that it is socially unacceptable to leave dog poop on the ground; however, one in 10 of those asked felt embarrassed when they had to pick it up in public.

While the survey showed that the majority of respondents 92% were responsible enough to bring poop bags with them while walking their dogs, 1% of those asked admitted that they never pick up their dogs’ poop!

Managing director of Maxi Zoo, Ciarán O’Neill, said: “For the most part, the survey results are positive, and it is great to see that the majority of dog owners are responsible for their pets.

“However, we realise there is still a wider issue that needs to be addressed to help alleviate the stigma attached to picking up dog poop, so that we can help combat this problem in our country.”

Mr O’Neill said the team at Maxi Zoo hope to encourage dog owners to ensure they carry dog poop bags at all times when walking their dogs.

“99% of the Maxi Zoo team are pet owners and together, we are going to look at ways that we can help with this issue in Ireland,” he said.

“In our 20 stores, we are talking to thousands of pet owners every day of the week, offering advice and help – we genuinely love animals as much as our customers do, so it’s important that we play our parts too.”

The failure to remove dog poop causes not just inconvenience to others – but danger too, warns Emma Fanning, brand ambassador and training and livestock manager at Maxi Zoo.

“Not only can dog poop potentially carry harmful bacteria which is bad for health – but accidentally stepping in dog poop is one of the most annoying things that can happen to someone and tends to disrupt your whole day.

“We hope that by educating and encouraging the public further, we can help remove this annoyance.”

Luckily the survey showed that almost two thirds of the respondents think it is important to pick up after their dogs as it is not good for the health of others.

One third of respondents felt that it was important as it is a form of littering, and the remaining 3% felt it was important in case they get fined.

This low stat isn’t surprising when in 2018 it was reported that in Dublin city only four such fines were issued by Dublin City Council.

Other key findings of the survey included:

95% of respondents believe that there are not enough dog waste bins in their local area.

One in 10 people would leave their dogs poop on the ground if it was off path in a woodland area.

Over half of dog walkers admitted they would not pick up another dogs poop – even if it was next to their own.

Over 50% of the respondents believe that the poop bag material would influence their purchasing behaviour. With over 53% of those choosing degradable or biodegradable plastics.