Pawsitively promoting responsible owners

November 29, 2016 by Southend Borough Council

Pawsitively promoting responsible owners

Tuesday 29th November 2016

Make Southend Sparkle is hosting a Responsible Dog Owner Day at Chalkwell Park near the cricket pavilions on December 6th from 10am – 1pm with tips, training and advice for owners, with special guests Crofters Rescue Centre.

This is the second Responsible Dog Owner Day this year and is a collaboration between several Southend-on-Sea Borough Council departments and external partners. The Make Southend Sparkle Team will be promoting the importance of being a responsible dog owner including the important job of cleaning up after your dog. The team want to promote keeping Southend-on-Sea clean and pleasant for everyone to enjoy because when left dog faeces can be hazardous to pets, adults and children.

Leaving dog faeces on the streets, in parks or on beaches can spread disease and infection. Dog faeces can carry Giardia, E.coli or even Parvovirus, a highly contagious virus that can lead to the demise of your dog, not to mention hookworm and roundworm, which can cause blindness in affected people.

As of April 6th 2016, it became a legal requirement for all dogs to be micro chipped and owners have a responsibility to ensure their details are kept up to date with the micro chipping company, failure to do so can lead to a £500 fine. The team will be offering free micro chipping, your last opportunity to receive this service before Christmas, as well as free dog waste bags to keep the town clean.

Mark Flewitt, Executive Councillor for Housing, Planning & Public Protection Services said “Owning a dog, or pet of any kind is a privilege and comes with great responsibilities.

“The work Make Southend Sparkle is doing to promote responsible ownership is important to the community as a whole, and I urge owners and potential owners to attend.”

It’s important to remember as Christmas time approaches that dogs and pets are not just for Christmas .That’s why our dog warden will be collecting food, treats, blankets, beds and toys on the day for all the dogs that are woefully abandoned at this time of year.

Special guests Crofters Rescue Centre will be offering advice and training as well as their agility course, for dogs and owners to run on the day.