Gardening

Frustrated man takes drastic action to catch dog poo offender red-handed

Mar 31, 2018

Not everyone uses bins for dog waste.

A frustrated man went to extreme lengths to stop a serial dog poo offender messing up his lawn – by setting up his own surveillance operation.

According to the Courier Mail, Brisbane resident David Deaned grew so sick of a dog owner letting their pet use his garden as a toilet and not picking up after it, he set up a CCTV camera to catch the culprit in the act.

The male offender is seen in a Facebook image, published by the site, wearing a red t-shirt. His small black dog can be seen squatting behind him.

He reportedly posted the footage on Facebook in the hopes of catching the owner, as “day after day we have to pick up the mess”.

But while some applauded the decision to film the man, others said it’s a step too far. One reportedly commented on the video: “Installing a CCTV camera to watch whose dog poops near your house? Why not a satellite?”

Another suggested: “Print out these photos on large A3, laminate and stick a few on posts on your footpath with the caption, ‘is this you?’ and below [put] the rules.”

If he’s caught, the unidentified man could face a large fine, with Brisbane City Council able to hand out charges of up to $252 for not picking up after pets. There’s also a $63 fine for not carrying a bag.

It comes after Melbourne’s Casey Council increased their fine to $500. The tight law doesn’t end there however, as anyone caught walking without a dog poo bag will be fined $200 too.

Ben Smith runs a Facebook group for Cranbourne East dog owners, and admitted while punishment was needed, a fine seemed too harsh, particularly for not carrying enough bags.

“People should not be punished for not having foresight— if I don’t have a bag by accident I will still try to make an effort to pick it up, I will see if I can find a bag or use some branches,” he told the Herald Sun at the time.

According to the site, the past year has seen the council issue four infringements for failing to remove poo, and it’s received 32 complaints about waste.

Casey safer communities manager Caroline Bell told the website: “We urge all pet owners to pick up after their animals and show courtesy for everyone that uses our public places so they can be enjoyed and kept clean for our community.”