Wyndham sports clubs are urging residents to responsibly dispose of their dog droppings when using sporting grounds.
Tarneit Titans vice president Sue Thornton said the biggest problem facing many sports club in the municipality is people leaving behind dog droppings when using sporting ovals and facilities.
“Every training night, you will see us out there picking up dog poo,” Ms Thornton said.
“I can tell you now because I had to do the dog poo rounds on Saturday morning, they are big dogs that are leaving this.”
Ms Thornton acknowledges that some do pick up after their pets at the club’s home ground Wootten Road reserve, but “there’s a lot that just don’t”.
“We have a pavillion and there’s a walkway in front of all the doors, we’ve even found dog poo on the walkway where they go into the change rooms or when they go to canteen,
“It’s sickening, especially If I don’t get here on a Thursday night or a Tuesday night, and the kids go out and have a kick.”
The Suns Football and Netball club vice president Herb Gallina said he was flabbergasted by the number of people refusing to do the right thing.
“It’s getting worse, i can tell you that right now. We used to just get a little bit here and there, now it’s like three or four trips to the oval,” he said.
“Sometimes [the] poop [is] in bags, if you’re going to the trouble of putting it in the bag, put it in the bin.
“From a community obligation, people just need to be community aware and conscious about things like this.”
The Wyndham Council Community Amenity Local Law requires that any person in control of a dog is obligated to have a bag or other supplies that enables them to remove their dogs droppings from council land.
“Wyndham City encourages pet owners to regularly exercise their dogs in areas that are appropriate and have been designated as an area where dogs are allowed,” Wyndham council city operations director Stephen Thorpe said.
“This includes a number of shared sporting precincts that council allows dogs to be off-lead, whilst ensuring the rules around the area are followed.”
