A Scottish city has been named as one of the worst in the world for dog fouling, according to new research.
Edinburgh has been named Scotland’s dog poo capital and also lands in number four in the UK.
Keep Scotland Beautiful recently campaigned for locals in the city not to do ‘half a jobbie’ – bag the poo but then discard the whole bag thoughtlessly, while some UK councils have encouraged vigilant civilians to paint it bright pink to shame the owners.
The problem is apparently so bad in the city, that the team at pet insurance specialists Protect My Paws , who carried out the research, found that the capital came seventh overall worldwide.
They said: "Good dog owners pick up after their dog, but not all owners are good. There are those that leave dog poo where it falls and those who bag it and then abandon the bag.
"Dogs can harbour lots of viruses, bacteria and parasites, so the risk from poo can be more than just a mess on your shoes.
"But where is dog poop most commonly found? Protect My Paws analysed Twitter data to see which cities and states tweet the most about abandoned dog poo."
With an estimated 12.5 million dogs in the UK, the study found that dog poo may contain up to a million tiny Toxocara eggs.
A Toxocariasis infection can cause pain, dizziness, nausea, asthma, epilepsy, and eventually blindness. The most common humans to get it are aged between 18 months and five years. It’s bad for other dogs, too.
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