Page 18 - Thrapston Life April 2022

THE ROLE OF A DOG WARDEN BY MATT BUCKINGHAM NNC
Working for North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) as an Environmental Services Officer my role covers a variety
of areas but the relevant aspect for this article is the Dog Warden. This part of
my work spans from re-uniting strays to issuing Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) for littering, dog fouling and for not disposing of the bagged dog waste lawfully. As a Council we have a zero-tolerance attitude towards these offences and we work very closely with the community, Town and Parish Councils and as need arises we patrol, install signage and use our stencil to get the message across, all we ask is: “Find a bin and put it in, if not, take it home and use your own,” whether it is dog fouling or litter.
Several dog related complaints were made to Thrapston Town Council (TTC) who contacted us and asked for our help. From that it became clear that something
was needed and TTC procured some dedicated patrol hours from NNC. This began last year and since then regular patrols have taken place and I have met many dog walkers and walkers without dogs; the positive news is that people I meet from Thrapston or visitors to the town love walking by the river and using the Town Walk. Sadly, there are some who don’t pick up after their dog which is unacceptable. If you have witnessed this taking place and know who it is or if you can tell us specific days or times you see an owner commit this offence, then please get in touch because
we can take action. You can contact us by email: Waste.ENC@northnorthants.gov.uk or by phone: 0300 126 3000. I do want to say a big thank you to all those who pick up after their dogs and to those who also pick up after other people’s dogs too –
THANK YOU.
ANIMAL CHARITY UPDATE
Once a year the council change the animal charity that receives the donations made by residents when they collect their dog waste bags. The charity for 2021-2022 has been Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary and so
far a generous £1,247.60 has been raised for them. The charity for 2022 – 2023 will be announced shortly and in the meantime, we would like to thank Healthy Pet Supplies, Thrapston Farm & Garden and Thrapston Library
for their continued support in distributing the bags and to you for picking up after your dog.
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