Scoop your pooch's poop!

Are you a scooper? Owning a dog isn't all just fun and games, our furry little friends need a little help when it comes to their bathroom business!

Pet retailer Maxi Zoo has launched an initiative to encourage dog owners to pick up their dog's poop. The campaign, titled #ScoopThePoop, will run for the month of July and aims to educate the public on the importance of picking up after their dog.

Maxi Zoo will be giving away 1.5 million degradable poop bags to dog owners both in store and at select regional parks to help keep parks and streets poop free. It plans to be on site to support dog owners and to help create more awareness to encourage responsible dog ownership.

“This issue really gets conversations going,” said Ciaran O’Neill, Managing Director of Maxi Zoo Ireland.

“When we talk about #ScoopThePoop, we hear many different opinions on what people should and should not do - when picking up their dog’s poop. We have found that the majority of dog walkers are responsible, but there are still some who claim they would not pick up after their dog, if it was in a natural area, such as on grass or in a woodland.”

He continued: “Many other dogs, dog walkers and children often walk off paths so it is important that dog owners take the necessary action to avoid potentially ruining someone's day!”

A recent survey, commissioned by Maxi Zoo, that had over 2,000 responses highlighted the behaviour and attitudes of dog owners and had some interesting results.

It showed that one in ten dog owners feel embarrassed when picking up their dog's poop, however, over half of the survey respondents claimed that they would be more encouraged to pick up their dogs poop if they saw a social media influencer talking about it online.

With this in mind, Maxi Zoo has turned to the help of Louise Cooney, influencer and animal lover and Pete Wedderburn, also known as Pete the Vet, to help raise awareness for the campaign.

Speaking at the launch, Pete said: “Irish people love their dogs, but unfortunately they don't always love picking up after them. This is a shame, as it's an essential part of being a responsible dog owner. Dog poop is unsightly and unpleasant, and worse than this, it can carry bacteria and parasites that can harm human health.

“I'm delighted that Maxi Zoo is running its #ScoopThePoop campaign. The generosity of Maxi Zoo will make it easier for dog owners to #ScoopThePoop, making Ireland a cleaner, safer country for everyone.”