40% of dog owners in Sant Adrià are in favor of fining those who are uncivil

This year the first phase of the campaign aimed at dog owners, which began in December, to improve coexistence between people who have dogs and the rest of the neighborhood, has finished.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
14 March 2023 Tuesday 01:41
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40% of dog owners in Sant Adrià are in favor of fining those who are uncivil

This year the first phase of the campaign aimed at dog owners, which began in December, to improve coexistence between people who have dogs and the rest of the neighborhood, has finished. The campaign to reduce dog feces on the street, which is part of the City Council's new civility program, one of the most significant data collected by the team of municipal civic agents points out that pet owners are in favor of tougher sanctions against dogs uncivil

Almost 70% of the residents of all the Sant Adrià neighborhoods surveyed in December expressed their concern about the amount of dog feces and urine in the streets and parks. This is the civic issue that most concerns citizens. In addition, 30% consider it worrying that there are dogs unleashed outside the recreation areas, since they can be a danger to themselves or to third parties.

During the campaign, in which civic agents have questioned nearly 750 dog owners, they have detected that three out of four dogs are tied up, nearly 90% of people who have dogs carry bags to collect excrement and doubled the number of dogs recorded monthly since the campaign began.

There is less faeces on the sidewalks but some aspects still need to be improved. For example, it has been detected that the number of feces on the grass and sand in parks and gardens has increased, causing a degradation of the gardens, contrary to the popular belief that dog feces and urine are fertilizer; it gives the feeling of abandonment and that "anything goes" and above all it is a risk to the health of people and pets.

In the second phase of the campaign, which is already underway, the team of civic agents will explain to dog owners all this range of negative consequences that derive from feces on the street. They will emphasize the drawbacks of dog urine on public roads, since it degrades facades, gardens and street furniture and entails a maintenance expense for the neighborhood, merchants and the administration, which ultimately affects prices that customers must pay for the products and citizens for cleaning and replacement fees for degraded street furniture.

40% of dog owners ask for an increase in the number and quality of puppies and recreation areas, and another 40% believe that those who do not comply with the regulations should be fined more. Along these lines, the local police, so far, have fined 10 offenders and have drawn up two minutes. The team of civic agents, with the support of the City Council, is working on a proposal to improve more modern pipicanes and recreational areas in Sant Adrià that respond to the real needs of the neighborhood that has chosen to have a dog in the family.