Clean up after your pet or face fines in Palma

Last year saw dog owners being urged to control their pets when in public places, this year the Palma City Council hopes to encourage dog owners to improve their pet's bathroom habits. The city councillor for health, María Crespo, yesterday unveiled a new campaign, under the slogan “the responsibility is yours,” which will come into operation on May 8 with the aim of making Palma a cleaner city, where pedestrians do not have to continually worry about where they are walking. The city council is taking the drive very seriously and the campaign will involve the support of the local police. A list of city black spots, areas frequented by large numbers of dogs, has been drawn up and local police will be keeping a close eye on the target zones. The launch of the campaign will involve a two-month awareness drive which will involve the distribution of leaflets to dog walkers and posters being stuck up in key areas. The main thrust of the posters and leaflets is that any person deciding to have a pet dog must be fully aware of and prepared to assume all the responsibilities, such as hygiene, safety and health. The city council also wants to drive home the “poop-scoop” regime and in order to ensure that owners clear up after their dogs, the local authority is prepared to distribute the latest model of “poop-scoops.”