Young mums run gauntlet of dog excrement
Natasha Overend and son Oscar. INPT0213-117gc
WHEN young mums Natasha Overend, Lisa Carville and Laura Adams began walking two weeks ago, they didn’t realise they would have to run the gauntlet of dog excrement on a daily basis.
The women, who live in Breagh Hill, off the Gilford Road, found themselves having to clean dog poo off the wheels of their buggies after their mile-long walks which take them up the Gilford Road and Killicomaine Road.
Not only that, they had to diligently check their shoes so they wouldn’t be carrying the potentially dangerous excrement into their homes where their children could come into contact with it.
In fact, between Bachelors Walk and Breagh Road, 14 different mounds of dog poo were counted this week.
In frustration, Natasha, who is mum to five-month-old Oscar, vented her annoyance on facebook and was inundated with responses of support.
She said, “It is disgusting. I have a dog myself and I manage to push the buggy and lift the dog poo, so it’s not difficult. People do it simply because they think they can get away with it.”
Lisa, who takes eight-month-old Pippa on the daily walks, said, “We have to walk in a single file so we don’t step in anything. It’s ridiculous. I first became aware of how bad it was on the Old Gilford Road. My sister-in-law and her husband were over from Australia and he commented on how bad it was.”
Like Natasha, Lisa owns a dog, so their gripe is not with all dog owners but with irresponsible dog owners.
She added, “One day, my husband took our dog out for a walk and needed more than one bag so he actually came back to the house, got another bag and went out again to pick up the dirt.”
Lisa also has a five-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter and finds that they too bring dog excrement back on the wheels of their bikes.
Meanwhile, Laura said she has watched people let their dogs foul openly in public. She explained, “A man just stopped in front of me, let his dog poo and then walked straight on. It was right in the middle of the pavement.”
Ironically, on Tuesday morning, somebody else had let their dog foul - just beside one of the bins on the Gilford Road.
Are there any areas near where you live that are blighted by dog fouling?
Let us know by text on 84555, starting your message with PTTEXT, or contact us on Twitter at @portadowntimes1 or post comments on our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portadown-Times
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Weather for Portadown
Thursday 20 June 2013
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