How many pooping days until Christmas?

Kudos to the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Project for a terrific publicity stunt today - the Dog Poo Tree.

They wanted to highlight the problem of thoughtless dog owners bagging up their dirt and then flinging it into the nearest bush, there to fester for years. 

So they festooned a tree at Todmorden Lock with purple plastic bags, each one looking like it held a little doggie gift.  Indeed, so many bags - I lost count when up to nearly 200 - that there's be almost one turd for every day up to next Christmas.

It all makes for a very disturbing Anti-Christmas tree. 

I do hope they cleaned up afterwards.

Said Louise Harrison, project coordinator for Upper Calder Valley Renaissance:

"We are pleased to support British Waterways in their appeal to dog owners across the country.  Here in the Calder Valley we have some of the nation’s most beautiful countryside and it is barking mad that people insist on spoiling it in this way.

"Hopefully the shocking sight of a beautiful tree entirely decorated with bags of poo will remind pet owners just how silly it is to discard of their dogs’ mess in this way."

Oh, did I get it wrong?  Was it British Waterways' idea all along?  And did UCVR just come along for the walk?  Sorry.

A press release from BW came with a headline that was just as eye-catching:

Dog walkers asked to take a lead by cutting the crap

It's a growing problem, and we are all getting exasperated with it.  (Dog dirt in plastic bags, I mean, not BW publicity stunts and cheap puns, although I know what you mean.)

The genius of the picture here is that the bags are all pretty in pink and imperial purple, and of course there's added impact in the sheer number of them.

This is far more effective in PR terms than my doggie-bag effort at Leamington Spa four years ago (below). 

My shot relied on one lonely black plastic bag and a glaring collie, and the only purple was a single anorak.  All of which might warm dog-lovers hearts but won't catch the eye of editors.  Although at least it had my beloved Granny Buttons in the background, which is more than you can say for the official picture.

I Spy Granny pictures count for more on this blog.

[The main photo was a PR one, sent out with the press release and not given official credit.  However, I notice the jpeg has the name of photographer Bob Collier embedded inside, so let's give him a nod for an arresting image, eh?]

Comments

[Paul Savage (NB Adreva)]

Well if it is cold It will keep your hands warm!!

[Sarah]

All very true and a great stunt, but I do hope it doesn't lead to more people just shovelling dogshit into the cut, which I find pretty revolting (and wonder whether it doesn't contravene the same bye-laws that prohibit us from doing likewise with our own?). In a sense, the 'bag it and bin it' campaign has been a victim of its own success - people have got into the habit of bagging, but then find there aren't bins, or those that there are, are overflowing. Now, maybe they should carry it all the way home, but you can see why they might not want to.