Your Green Dog Walker®Guide

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 1 20/04/2017 16:08

Introduction

The Green Dog Walkers (GDW)Project has been running in theFalkirk Council area since August

2008. The project was initiated byCommunity Green Initiative (CGI) ofDunipace, Scotland - in partnershipwith Falkirk Council Litter Strategy Team.Three years later there are close to 1000individual Green Dog Walkers pledgers inthe Falkirk area.

In 2009 Falkirk Council trademarkedand licensed the campaign and itbecame available in other parts ofScotland and the UK, due to populardemand. To date a total of over 1500 dogowners have taken the pledge acrossScotland and the UK. Currently there areeight Green Dog Walkers Projects runningin the UK - Moray Council, Perth/Kinross,Fife, Normand Park London, HighlandsCouncil, Angus Council, Durham Counciland Swale Borough Council.

The Green Dog Walkers Project hasattracted a lot of attention and accoladesin its first two years:

We were featured on the BBCLandward show in Winter 2009

GDW had coverage in the BBCnews online in 2009

Your Dog magazine ran a featureintroducing the project in June2009

Falkirk Council’s Litter StrategyTeam won the February 2010Keep Scotland BeautifulPeople & Places Award forSupport of Communities,for its dog fouling andGDW campaigns

In February 2010, wetravelled to London tocollect the UK Kennel ClubDog Recognition Awardtrophy

GDW was featured on CruftsTV at the Crufts Dog Show inBirmingham 2010.

2010 Local GovernmentCommunications Rep Silver Award(Falkirk Council EnvironmentComm)

Joint Winner CIPR Local PublicServices Award 2010 (FalkirkCouncil Environment Comm)

We were interviewed on theBBC London radio “Barking atthe Moon” show in Spring 2010

Various dog groups, vets and dogservices have added our logo andlink to the online pledge form totheir websites

The secret to a successful GDW campaignis the volunteer groups and dog owners

who are the ones “on theground” running the pledge

stalls and gatheringpledgers. It is for thosegroups that this booklet

has been put together. Wehope these tips and creativeideas will be of help to you.We always love to hear fromyou about your own GDWcampaigns, so please keep in

touch. And remember toLEAVE ONLY PAWPRINTS!

Green Dog WalkersProject, Falkirk Council

Contents

1 Introduction

2 How it Works: A Partnership

4 So You Have a Green Dog Walkers Tool Kit -Now What?

6 Tips on How to Run a GDW Campaign

8 Tips on How to Run a GDW Pledge Stall

12 Children, Your Best Allies

14 For Inspiration:A Few Falkirk GDW Campaign Events

16 Monitoring/Evaluation

17 Resources

1

A friendly way to tackle dog foulingissues in the Falkirk area

Sign thepledge for youand your pal!

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 2 20/04/2017 16:08

Introduction

The Green Dog Walkers (GDW)Project has been running in theFalkirk Council area since August

2008. The project was initiated byCommunity Green Initiative (CGI) ofDunipace, Scotland - in partnershipwith Falkirk Council Litter Strategy Team.Three years later there are close to 1000individual Green Dog Walkers pledgers inthe Falkirk area.

In 2009 Falkirk Council trademarkedand licensed the campaign and itbecame available in other parts ofScotland and the UK, due to populardemand. To date a total of over 1500 dogowners have taken the pledge acrossScotland and the UK. Currently there areeight Green Dog Walkers Projects runningin the UK - Moray Council, Perth/Kinross,Fife, Normand Park London, HighlandsCouncil, Angus Council, Durham Counciland Swale Borough Council.

The Green Dog Walkers Project hasattracted a lot of attention and accoladesin its first two years:

We were featured on the BBCLandward show in Winter 2009

GDW had coverage in the BBCnews online in 2009

Your Dog magazine ran a featureintroducing the project in June2009

Falkirk Council’s Litter StrategyTeam won the February 2010Keep Scotland BeautifulPeople & Places Award forSupport of Communities,for its dog fouling andGDW campaigns

In February 2010, wetravelled to London tocollect the UK Kennel ClubDog Recognition Awardtrophy

GDW was featured on CruftsTV at the Crufts Dog Show inBirmingham 2010.

2010 Local GovernmentCommunications Rep Silver Award(Falkirk Council EnvironmentComm)

Joint Winner CIPR Local PublicServices Award 2010 (FalkirkCouncil Environment Comm)

We were interviewed on theBBC London radio “Barking atthe Moon” show in Spring 2010

Various dog groups, vets and dogservices have added our logo andlink to the online pledge form totheir websites

The secret to a successful GDW campaignis the volunteer groups and dog owners

who are the ones “on theground” running the pledge

stalls and gatheringpledgers. It is for thosegroups that this booklet

has been put together. Wehope these tips and creativeideas will be of help to you.We always love to hear fromyou about your own GDWcampaigns, so please keep in

touch. And remember toLEAVE ONLY PAWPRINTS!

Green Dog WalkersProject, Falkirk Council

Contents

1 Introduction

2 How it Works: A Partnership

4 So You Have a Green Dog Walkers Tool Kit -Now What?

6 Tips on How to Run a GDW Campaign

8 Tips on How to Run a GDW Pledge Stall

12 Children, Your Best Allies

14 For Inspiration:A Few Falkirk GDW Campaign Events

16 Monitoring/Evaluation

17 Resources

1

A friendly way to tackle dog foulingissues in the Falkirk area

Sign thepledge for youand your pal!

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 3 20/04/2017 16:08

How it Works:A Partnership

The more energy one puts into thecampaign, the more effective it is- as with all things!

Local Authority LicenceA Green Dog Walkers Licence allows yourlocal authority to expand and customisethe campaign for your area. The licenceincludes consideration of a fee for theartwork and usage which helps FalkirkCouncil cover the legal costs oftrademarking. The licence packageincludes a CD with the trademarkedartwork and applications, supportiveinformation and very detailed guidelineson how to set up and run the campaign.As new artwork is developed over time, itis also sent to licencees by emailattachment. GDW also works with

authorities out with Falkirk Council viathe volunteer group in Dunipace, for anyquestions that may occur once the licencehas been issued; full support at everystep!

Partnerships Between Local Authorities& Volunteer GroupsThe best scenario is for a communityvolunteer group to work hand-in-handwith their local authority. The groupprovides the “on the ground” work to signup pledgers and the council provides thefunding for armbands, pledge brochuresand promotions of the project at a levelwhich is usually difficult for a smallvolunteer group to achieve. It's thecommunity volunteers who do thegroundwork of signing on pledgers,running booths at every dog event andfair they can find, engaging children inthe project (our best ambassadors!) anddoing poo surveys, etc. to see how it'sgoing.

Active Visibility is the KeyThe project works best the morevisible and active the armbandwearers are, in neighbourhoodswhere volunteers really get behindit. In Airth Scotland, for example,the community centre and local dogtrainer have taken it on and arehappy to report something like a99% decrease in dog fouling. Theytold us they can now walk around inAirth without having to keep theireyes on the ground!

Community Outreach -Schools and FamiliesWe have found that working withthe primary schools' eco groups isalso highly successful - severalschools have bad dog foulingfootpaths near the school and aretackling the problem with us.(Within the first six months of thecampaign in Dunipace/Falkirk, wehad to order extra child sizearmbands!) We are also nowsponsoring an annual Canine Capers“family & dog fun day” event tofurther our outreach intocommunities. We move this event toa different green park each year andinvolve the various GDW groups asvolunteers in dog agilitycompetitions, stalls on health,behaviour, dog trainers, etc.

3

The campaignphilosophy is thatthe first stage isto start shiftingpublic attitudesso that it becomessocially unacceptable to leave dog foulingabout; the second stage will be a hoped forreduction in dog fouling. Thus far stage oneis going very well in that the dog walkerswho DO clean up are quite willing to takethe pledge and wear the armband - or fortheir dogs to wear the Green Dog Walkerslogo collar.

Obviously stage two will take longer andrequire further evaluation. A preliminarysurvey on dog fouling in general, conductedby Falkirk Council in 2009, showed that afterless than a year, 44.4% of those surveyedhad heard of Green Dog Walkers and knewwhat it stood for. A 2011 survey showedthat had increased to 53% having seen theGDW publicity. Our initial survey of pledgersshowed that 51% believed that when otherdog walkers saw them wearing the armband,they were less likely to leave dog fouling intheir presence. Another indication that it issucceeding is that our charge hands say thatthey see a marked increase in use of the binsby dog owners (they have had to increase theirscheduled pick-ups of the bin contents) andwe do know that we are having to order 34%more doggie bags (Falkirk Council gives themout free to the public) than in previous years.

The Falkirk Council Litter Strategy ran asurvey of the general population in 2010-2011, including dog owners and GDWpledgers to evaluate the project. 88.2%felt the dog bins were being used; 73.3%received their pledge from a communitypledge booth as opposed to on line or pickingup a form at a one stop shop (showing greatcommunity participation); 69% of GDWpledgers spread the word to family andfriends; and 89.7% felt that signing thepledge made them more conscientiousabout cleaning up, they take thepledge seriously.

A Two Stage Process

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 4 20/04/2017 16:08

How it Works:A Partnership

The more energy one puts into thecampaign, the more effective it is- as with all things!

Local Authority LicenceA Green Dog Walkers Licence allows yourlocal authority to expand and customisethe campaign for your area. The licenceincludes consideration of a fee for theartwork and usage which helps FalkirkCouncil cover the legal costs oftrademarking. The licence packageincludes a CD with the trademarkedartwork and applications, supportiveinformation and very detailed guidelineson how to set up and run the campaign.As new artwork is developed over time, itis also sent to licencees by emailattachment. GDW also works with

authorities out with Falkirk Council viathe volunteer group in Dunipace, for anyquestions that may occur once the licencehas been issued; full support at everystep!

Partnerships Between Local Authorities& Volunteer GroupsThe best scenario is for a communityvolunteer group to work hand-in-handwith their local authority. The groupprovides the “on the ground” work to signup pledgers and the council provides thefunding for armbands, pledge brochuresand promotions of the project at a levelwhich is usually difficult for a smallvolunteer group to achieve. It's thecommunity volunteers who do thegroundwork of signing on pledgers,running booths at every dog event andfair they can find, engaging children inthe project (our best ambassadors!) anddoing poo surveys, etc. to see how it'sgoing.

Active Visibility is the KeyThe project works best the morevisible and active the armbandwearers are, in neighbourhoodswhere volunteers really get behindit. In Airth Scotland, for example,the community centre and local dogtrainer have taken it on and arehappy to report something like a99% decrease in dog fouling. Theytold us they can now walk around inAirth without having to keep theireyes on the ground!

Community Outreach -Schools and FamiliesWe have found that working withthe primary schools' eco groups isalso highly successful - severalschools have bad dog foulingfootpaths near the school and aretackling the problem with us.(Within the first six months of thecampaign in Dunipace/Falkirk, wehad to order extra child sizearmbands!) We are also nowsponsoring an annual Canine Capers“family & dog fun day” event tofurther our outreach intocommunities. We move this event toa different green park each year andinvolve the various GDW groups asvolunteers in dog agilitycompetitions, stalls on health,behaviour, dog trainers, etc.

3

The campaignphilosophy is thatthe first stage isto start shiftingpublic attitudesso that it becomessocially unacceptable to leave dog foulingabout; the second stage will be a hoped forreduction in dog fouling. Thus far stage oneis going very well in that the dog walkerswho DO clean up are quite willing to takethe pledge and wear the armband - or fortheir dogs to wear the Green Dog Walkerslogo collar.

Obviously stage two will take longer andrequire further evaluation. A preliminarysurvey on dog fouling in general, conductedby Falkirk Council in 2009, showed that afterless than a year, 44.4% of those surveyedhad heard of Green Dog Walkers and knewwhat it stood for. A 2011 survey showedthat had increased to 53% having seen theGDW publicity. Our initial survey of pledgersshowed that 51% believed that when otherdog walkers saw them wearing the armband,they were less likely to leave dog fouling intheir presence. Another indication that it issucceeding is that our charge hands say thatthey see a marked increase in use of the binsby dog owners (they have had to increase theirscheduled pick-ups of the bin contents) andwe do know that we are having to order 34%more doggie bags (Falkirk Council gives themout free to the public) than in previous years.

The Falkirk Council Litter Strategy ran asurvey of the general population in 2010-2011, including dog owners and GDWpledgers to evaluate the project. 88.2%felt the dog bins were being used; 73.3%received their pledge from a communitypledge booth as opposed to on line or pickingup a form at a one stop shop (showing greatcommunity participation); 69% of GDWpledgers spread the word to family andfriends; and 89.7% felt that signing thepledge made them more conscientiousabout cleaning up, they take thepledge seriously.

A Two Stage Process

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 5 20/04/2017 16:08

Falkirk Council provides a GreenDog Walkers Tool Kit to each Falkirkcommunity organisation which

becomes an official GDW group. The toolkit includes a supply of pledge brochures,armbands, dog collars, green doggy bags,posters, stickers and other items.

Your local authority will assumablyprovide you with a similar kit or supply ofpledge forms and armbands/dog collars, oryou will seek funding to procure these foryour group.

GDW group leaders should keep abackpack or large bag always packed andready to go, devoted to the small stuff.That, with a portable table and banner is

the easiest way to walk into a parkfrom your car and set up.

If you are having a formal indoorstall, you may want to add a displaybackground board to this, with yourpublicity materials. You may also wantto start a scrapbook of your publicityand photos, to have handy at the stallfor folks to browse.

So Now What?The key to a successful GDW campaignis active participation. The campaignwill not “go live” if you leave the suppliesin a closet. You need to take the initiativeand just get out there next to a dogwalkers path, at a school fair, at anylocal community event that allows stallsfor various causes - and start talkingto people. The following pages will giveyou tips on how to run a campaign andpledge stall.

BasicTool Kit

A small portable table

1 or 2 chairs or stools

Outdoor banner (don’tforget ties!)

Indoor Pop up banner

Pens

Business cards

Dog biscuits

Water bowl and waterbottles

Doggie bags

Your mascot dog

Your localauthority’spublications andpamphlets (on dogfouling laws andenforcement, etc.)

Promotional items,if any

(A gazebo is great if youhave one!)

It Only Takes Two…You will want at least a handful of volunteersfrom your group to take turns running the stallsand demonstrating how to do so to other adults,teens and children in your community who getinvolved. But you can start with just two! The firstGDW group in Dunipace (in Falkirk Scotland) startedwith two volunteers and quickly grew to 4, then to10 who now take turns, including teens. By 2010the Falkirk area grew to over 20 such groups, withhandfuls of volunteers in each.

Role PlayingYou can practice role playing with each other (taketurns being the volunteer running the stall, the

friendly “good” dog owner,the hesitant dog owner,the grumpy dog owner,etc.) But the best way tofind out how to do it is -just to do it! After youhave run your secondpledge stall you will bean old hand at it.

Set TargetsWe have found ithelps that FalkirkCouncil’s LitterStrategy Team hasset targets for eachof the 20+ groups

- to have at least 3 eventsannually. An event can be a small pledge stallon a Saturday morning, a PowerPointpresentation to a local school, a poster and/orleaflet campaign, a Green Dog Walkers newspapercolumn, a small local bark in the park event,or helping with a larger good dog ownershipevent sponsored by your local authority or dogrescue groups, dog shows, etc. The definitionof “an event” is endless, it’s just a way to keepyour group thinking about the campaign andalways keeping an eye out for possiblevenues for a pledge stall or awarenessraising opportunity.

See “Tips on How to Run a Green Dog WalkersCampaign” pages 6-7; “Tips on How to Run a GreenDog Walkers Pledge Stall” pages 8-11.

5

So you have a Green Dog Walkerstool kit - now what?

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 6 20/04/2017 16:08

Falkirk Council provides a GreenDog Walkers Tool Kit to each Falkirkcommunity organisation which

becomes an official GDW group. The toolkit includes a supply of pledge brochures,armbands, dog collars, green doggy bags,posters, stickers and other items.

Your local authority will assumablyprovide you with a similar kit or supply ofpledge forms and armbands/dog collars, oryou will seek funding to procure these foryour group.

GDW group leaders should keep abackpack or large bag always packed andready to go, devoted to the small stuff.That, with a portable table and banner is

the easiest way to walk into a parkfrom your car and set up.

If you are having a formal indoorstall, you may want to add a displaybackground board to this, with yourpublicity materials. You may also wantto start a scrapbook of your publicityand photos, to have handy at the stallfor folks to browse.

So Now What?The key to a successful GDW campaignis active participation. The campaignwill not “go live” if you leave the suppliesin a closet. You need to take the initiativeand just get out there next to a dogwalkers path, at a school fair, at anylocal community event that allows stallsfor various causes - and start talkingto people. The following pages will giveyou tips on how to run a campaign andpledge stall.

BasicTool Kit

A small portable table

1 or 2 chairs or stools

Outdoor banner (don’tforget ties!)

Indoor Pop up banner

Pens

Business cards

Dog biscuits

Water bowl and waterbottles

Doggie bags

Your mascot dog

Your localauthority’spublications andpamphlets (on dogfouling laws andenforcement, etc.)

Promotional items,if any

(A gazebo is great if youhave one!)

It Only Takes Two…You will want at least a handful of volunteersfrom your group to take turns running the stallsand demonstrating how to do so to other adults,teens and children in your community who getinvolved. But you can start with just two! The firstGDW group in Dunipace (in Falkirk Scotland) startedwith two volunteers and quickly grew to 4, then to10 who now take turns, including teens. By 2010the Falkirk area grew to over 20 such groups, withhandfuls of volunteers in each.

Role PlayingYou can practice role playing with each other (taketurns being the volunteer running the stall, the

friendly “good” dog owner,the hesitant dog owner,the grumpy dog owner,etc.) But the best way tofind out how to do it is -just to do it! After youhave run your secondpledge stall you will bean old hand at it.

Set TargetsWe have found ithelps that FalkirkCouncil’s LitterStrategy Team hasset targets for eachof the 20+ groups

- to have at least 3 eventsannually. An event can be a small pledge stallon a Saturday morning, a PowerPointpresentation to a local school, a poster and/orleaflet campaign, a Green Dog Walkers newspapercolumn, a small local bark in the park event,or helping with a larger good dog ownershipevent sponsored by your local authority or dogrescue groups, dog shows, etc. The definitionof “an event” is endless, it’s just a way to keepyour group thinking about the campaign andalways keeping an eye out for possiblevenues for a pledge stall or awarenessraising opportunity.

See “Tips on How to Run a Green Dog WalkersCampaign” pages 6-7; “Tips on How to Run a GreenDog Walkers Pledge Stall” pages 8-11.

5

So you have a Green Dog Walkerstool kit - now what?

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 7 20/04/2017 16:08

1 The Number One Rule is“Keep It Friendly!”

Remember the pledge, to never beconfrontational when wearing the armband. Thebest way to approach someone is to prefaceyour message with “We are talking to dogowners who are good about picking up aftertheir dogs, so they can help get the messageout to those who are not.” Assume the personyou are talking to is a responsible dog ownerand the dialogue will go well. If you approachthem in a reprimanding tone, it does no goodfor the conversation nor the overall message ofthe project.

2 Wish Them a Good Day!Since GDW began in August 2008, we cancount on one hand the number of people whohave responded to us with a negative attitude -out of several hundreds we have spoken to atpledge stalls. Most people are curious,interested and eager to sign up. However, if youdo find that the person you are talking to orapproaching has an attitude, is confrontational,grumpy or begins offering reasons why theywon’t or can’t pick up after their dog, it is bestnot to engage or let it escalate - they willalways have another excuse. Stay friendly, wishthem a good day - and move on!

3 Your True AmbassadorsOften after we explain what the armbandsare for, the person will smile and say “Oh Ialready do clean up after my dog,” andstart to leave because they don’t thinkGDW applies to them. It’s very important,at this moment, to say, “Yes, that’s why weneed YOU to wear the armband” or “Yes,it’s the GOOD dog owners whom we areasking to sign the pledge, because youcan be a good example.” Usuallythey will stop then and sign thepledge. Don’t let these good dogwalkers get away, these areexactly the people you want totake the pledge. They are yourambassadors, to help changeattitudes by the nonverbal sign ofthe armband. Don’t worry abouttrying to convince dog foulers tocome over to your side. They will,

later. First start with the ones willing to wearthe armband to help with a bit of peer pressure.

4 Distributing Pledge BrochuresArrange to leave cardboard dispensers of thepledge brochure at public places in yourcommunity such as the library, one stop shop,vet surgery, pet store, groomer, kennel, trainerclasses, and any business which will agree tokeep them on the counter. Don’t leavearmbands with them - unless the person whoruns the store or centre is willing to beresponsible for only dispensing them to thosewho sign a pledge and responsible to get thesigned pledges back to you. The best policy is tojust leave brochures with them so the publiccan pick them up and mail them to you, toreceive an armband. (Be sure you have providedyour address by sticker or rubber stamp on thepledge forms.)

5 Vets are Great Resources!Vets may be happy to include a brochure inany “puppy packs” they give out to clients thefirst time they bring in a new puppy for itsvaccinations. Or they may be willing to mentionthe project and hand a brochure to all of theirclients. We have found vets are very willing tobe involved in the project this way. If you havea newsletter in which you will be publishingGreen Dog Walker information, you may askyour vet to write an article about the health

hazards of dog fouling inexchange for a small free advert inyour paper.

6 Network Face to FaceThe best way to distribute

brochures and circulate armbands is inperson, face to face, one on one. This

is because it offers a chance tohave a dialogue, to find out abouttrouble spots in your community,where bins are needed, repeat

offender information you can passalong to your dog warden orcommunity safety team, and a way tobring in more volunteers to help yourgroup. Network network network!

7 Business CardsHave business cards made up with the GreenDog Walkers logo on it (or just a greenpawprint) and your group’s contactinformation. That helps you talk it upeverywhere you happen to be and makes it easyfor people to contact you for brochures later.They are also very handy to have in your pocketwhen walking your dog, if someone asks aboutthe armband. Alternatively, make sure youalways have a brochure or two in your pocket orhandbag.

8 Set Up a Green Dog Walkers BoothWhenever and Wherever You Can

Saturday morning next to your most populardog path or in the park, local fairs, includingschool fairs (we set up outside the door as theyenter the school), are a great way to talk topeople who are already relaxed and receptiveand often have their dog with them. Think ofcreative ways your booth might fit into themefairs. For example, we have combined GreenDog Walkers with anti-litter booths at a “healthand mental health” fair, with the idea that litteris depressing and clean-ups are good exercise,including dealing with dog fouling; at aheritage fair under the concept that our greenspaces are part of our heritage and we need totake care of them, including cleaning up dogfouling. Other obvious venues for a booth aredog shows, bark in the parks, etc. (See “How toRun a Green Dog Walkers Pledge Stall”, Pages8-11.)

9 MediaThe Falkirk Herald has run various articles andnotices on Green Dog Walkers since it began.You can “launch” your Green Dog Walkerproject by calling them or any other local paperor newsletters to have a photographer there atyour first booth, to announce that yourcommunity group has taken on the project. Youcan include a member of your localauthority if you wish and it is goodfor the “photo opp” to include acouple dogs on leash. However,experience has shown twothings to keep in mind: if youbring in dog volunteers, warn theirowners that the hoped for photo mayor may not end up in the paper.(You have no control over whateditorial decisions are made) anddon’t bring a dog to a photo shoot(or pledge stall) who is

unfriendly to other dogs. A battle of dog witsdoes not make for a good publicity event!

10 Green Dog Walkers ColumnsInclude a regular Green Dog Walkers column orpage in your group’s newsletter and/or website,and any newsletter/website that will have you!Remember, keep it friendly andnonconfrontational!

11 Involve the ChildrenWe find that children really get enthusiasticabout the Green Dog Walkers project. Keep atoy dog at your pledge stall as a “mascot” tobring their attention (one school’s eco grouphosted a pledge stall at a school fair; everychild brought in a toy dog and put them ondisplay at the booth. It was a great attentiongrabber!) The children will flock to you andwant to name the mascot and end up helpingyou run the booth. (See “Children, Your BestAllies”, Pages 12-13.)

Often children are about to get their first puppyand are easily convinced to “start out right” bysigning the pledge in advance. Brownies canearn badges by helping with the project. Talkwith your school’s eco teacher about morecreative ways to involve the children in pledgestalls, poster contests, poo surveys, educatingthe adults, etc. A school’s eco group will often“take it and run with it”, leaving you with notmuch more to do than count pledge forms!

12 Keep it FriendlyMake sure that any communication that goesout under the logo is always in the friendly,nonconfrontational manner of the project. Forexample, it would not be used to post noticesthat were entirely about enforcement or areprimand from a neighbourhood group to anyindividual about their dog fouling habits, etc.

These are just some of the ways we havepromoted the project from the start. New ones

are always coming up and you willthink of your own. We wouldappreciate it if you would let usknow of promotional ideas you usethat really work, so we can continue

to advise all Green Dog Walker projectleaders of creative new ideas. Alwaysfeel free to call upon the Falkirk CouncilLitter Strategy Team’s Green DogWalkers Project for adviceor help.

Tips on how to run aGreen Dog Walkers campaign

7

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 8 20/04/2017 16:08

1 The Number One Rule is“Keep It Friendly!”

Remember the pledge, to never beconfrontational when wearing the armband. Thebest way to approach someone is to prefaceyour message with “We are talking to dogowners who are good about picking up aftertheir dogs, so they can help get the messageout to those who are not.” Assume the personyou are talking to is a responsible dog ownerand the dialogue will go well. If you approachthem in a reprimanding tone, it does no goodfor the conversation nor the overall message ofthe project.

2 Wish Them a Good Day!Since GDW began in August 2008, we cancount on one hand the number of people whohave responded to us with a negative attitude -out of several hundreds we have spoken to atpledge stalls. Most people are curious,interested and eager to sign up. However, if youdo find that the person you are talking to orapproaching has an attitude, is confrontational,grumpy or begins offering reasons why theywon’t or can’t pick up after their dog, it is bestnot to engage or let it escalate - they willalways have another excuse. Stay friendly, wishthem a good day - and move on!

3 Your True AmbassadorsOften after we explain what the armbandsare for, the person will smile and say “Oh Ialready do clean up after my dog,” andstart to leave because they don’t thinkGDW applies to them. It’s very important,at this moment, to say, “Yes, that’s why weneed YOU to wear the armband” or “Yes,it’s the GOOD dog owners whom we areasking to sign the pledge, because youcan be a good example.” Usuallythey will stop then and sign thepledge. Don’t let these good dogwalkers get away, these areexactly the people you want totake the pledge. They are yourambassadors, to help changeattitudes by the nonverbal sign ofthe armband. Don’t worry abouttrying to convince dog foulers tocome over to your side. They will,

later. First start with the ones willing to wearthe armband to help with a bit of peer pressure.

4 Distributing Pledge BrochuresArrange to leave cardboard dispensers of thepledge brochure at public places in yourcommunity such as the library, one stop shop,vet surgery, pet store, groomer, kennel, trainerclasses, and any business which will agree tokeep them on the counter. Don’t leavearmbands with them - unless the person whoruns the store or centre is willing to beresponsible for only dispensing them to thosewho sign a pledge and responsible to get thesigned pledges back to you. The best policy is tojust leave brochures with them so the publiccan pick them up and mail them to you, toreceive an armband. (Be sure you have providedyour address by sticker or rubber stamp on thepledge forms.)

5 Vets are Great Resources!Vets may be happy to include a brochure inany “puppy packs” they give out to clients thefirst time they bring in a new puppy for itsvaccinations. Or they may be willing to mentionthe project and hand a brochure to all of theirclients. We have found vets are very willing tobe involved in the project this way. If you havea newsletter in which you will be publishingGreen Dog Walker information, you may askyour vet to write an article about the health

hazards of dog fouling inexchange for a small free advert inyour paper.

6 Network Face to FaceThe best way to distribute

brochures and circulate armbands is inperson, face to face, one on one. This

is because it offers a chance tohave a dialogue, to find out abouttrouble spots in your community,where bins are needed, repeat

offender information you can passalong to your dog warden orcommunity safety team, and a way tobring in more volunteers to help yourgroup. Network network network!

7 Business CardsHave business cards made up with the GreenDog Walkers logo on it (or just a greenpawprint) and your group’s contactinformation. That helps you talk it upeverywhere you happen to be and makes it easyfor people to contact you for brochures later.They are also very handy to have in your pocketwhen walking your dog, if someone asks aboutthe armband. Alternatively, make sure youalways have a brochure or two in your pocket orhandbag.

8 Set Up a Green Dog Walkers BoothWhenever and Wherever You Can

Saturday morning next to your most populardog path or in the park, local fairs, includingschool fairs (we set up outside the door as theyenter the school), are a great way to talk topeople who are already relaxed and receptiveand often have their dog with them. Think ofcreative ways your booth might fit into themefairs. For example, we have combined GreenDog Walkers with anti-litter booths at a “healthand mental health” fair, with the idea that litteris depressing and clean-ups are good exercise,including dealing with dog fouling; at aheritage fair under the concept that our greenspaces are part of our heritage and we need totake care of them, including cleaning up dogfouling. Other obvious venues for a booth aredog shows, bark in the parks, etc. (See “How toRun a Green Dog Walkers Pledge Stall”, Pages8-11.)

9 MediaThe Falkirk Herald has run various articles andnotices on Green Dog Walkers since it began.You can “launch” your Green Dog Walkerproject by calling them or any other local paperor newsletters to have a photographer there atyour first booth, to announce that yourcommunity group has taken on the project. Youcan include a member of your localauthority if you wish and it is goodfor the “photo opp” to include acouple dogs on leash. However,experience has shown twothings to keep in mind: if youbring in dog volunteers, warn theirowners that the hoped for photo mayor may not end up in the paper.(You have no control over whateditorial decisions are made) anddon’t bring a dog to a photo shoot(or pledge stall) who is

unfriendly to other dogs. A battle of dog witsdoes not make for a good publicity event!

10 Green Dog Walkers ColumnsInclude a regular Green Dog Walkers column orpage in your group’s newsletter and/or website,and any newsletter/website that will have you!Remember, keep it friendly andnonconfrontational!

11 Involve the ChildrenWe find that children really get enthusiasticabout the Green Dog Walkers project. Keep atoy dog at your pledge stall as a “mascot” tobring their attention (one school’s eco grouphosted a pledge stall at a school fair; everychild brought in a toy dog and put them ondisplay at the booth. It was a great attentiongrabber!) The children will flock to you andwant to name the mascot and end up helpingyou run the booth. (See “Children, Your BestAllies”, Pages 12-13.)

Often children are about to get their first puppyand are easily convinced to “start out right” bysigning the pledge in advance. Brownies canearn badges by helping with the project. Talkwith your school’s eco teacher about morecreative ways to involve the children in pledgestalls, poster contests, poo surveys, educatingthe adults, etc. A school’s eco group will often“take it and run with it”, leaving you with notmuch more to do than count pledge forms!

12 Keep it FriendlyMake sure that any communication that goesout under the logo is always in the friendly,nonconfrontational manner of the project. Forexample, it would not be used to post noticesthat were entirely about enforcement or areprimand from a neighbourhood group to anyindividual about their dog fouling habits, etc.

These are just some of the ways we havepromoted the project from the start. New ones

are always coming up and you willthink of your own. We wouldappreciate it if you would let usknow of promotional ideas you usethat really work, so we can continue

to advise all Green Dog Walker projectleaders of creative new ideas. Alwaysfeel free to call upon the Falkirk CouncilLitter Strategy Team’s Green DogWalkers Project for adviceor help.

Tips on how to run aGreen Dog Walkers campaign

7

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1 PermissionFor a pathside stall, you may need tofind out who owns the property whereyou wish to have your stall. Grocerystore managers, the council, landowners,etc. Once you go through this processthe first time, it gets easier.

2 InsuranceIf you are a constituted group, nodoubt you have public liability insurance.It’s a good idea when you are mixingdogs, kids and strangers at a stall. Ifyou haven’t gotten it yet, look into that.If your group does environmental work,litter picks and by taking on GDW, youmay qualify to join BTCV for a modestfee and then qualify for theirinexpensive public liability insurance.www2.btcv.org.uk

3 Safety and Fun in NumbersA GDW stall doesn’t really work withjust one person running it (we know,we’ve tried that!). Always travel in twosat least. It’s more friendly and peopleare more likely to come talk to you andsign up if you already seem “active” bytalking with your partner or your childor teenager. Maybe one of you hasbrought your (friendly, socialized) dogor puppy along - these things help keepthe atmosphere friendly and upbeat.One person sitting alone is not tooinviting - and in case of the rareconfrontive customer, it’s best to havea backup.

4 Set a Good ExampleWear your armband while

runningthe stall.

Formal Stall

The first kind of stall is moreformal, it is something you planfor ahead of time when you areinvited to, or asked to be partof, another event like a bark inthe park, dog show, communityfair, school fair, etc. It caninclude, along with brochuresand armbands, a display boardwith images from your localauthority’s GDW campaign andyour own collection of photosof your Green Dog Walkersevents (always take pictures!).Keep a scrapbook or supply ofyour publicity and photos andsuch, so you can always beready to set up a display. If youneed to use some from FalkirkCouncil’s collection to getstarted, we have an archive, justemail a request and we can sendthe images by email attachmentfor you to print out.

5 Don’t Just Sit There!People may be reluctant at first to come overto your stall - they may think you are sellingsomething or going to reprimand them. Takea brochure, approach them as they come nearthe area, ask if you can pet their dog, ask thedog’s name, chat, be friendly. Be sure to usethe magic words, “We are asking responsibledog owners to help us get the irresponsibleones to change their attitude about dogfouling.” If you assume you are talking to aresponsible owner from the outset, thedialogue will go much better - so that theydon’t feel they are being singled out orreprimanded. Offer them the brochure to takehome and think about and then add that,alternatively, they can sign up right now andget their armband today. No pressure, giveoptions.

6 EnticementsFor an outdoor stall where people are likelyto come by with their dogs, keep a water dishand water bottle on the ground and a basketof dog treats on the table (the scent drawsthe dogs to your table). Also bring a supply ofdog poo bags - people will come to talk toyou just to get their free bags and then youcan sign them up. Make your table look funand friendly (see Tool Kit, Item 9, page 10)

7 Sharing InformationYou will find out important things andyou can dispense helpful information at thestall. Telling folks where to get their regularsupply of free doggie bags is important,talking about the law is helpful. If they wantto discuss a lack of bins in a particular area,take notes so you can talk to your localauthority about that later. They can also tellyou about other hot spots in town where youmay want to have a stall. Take notes!

Tips on how to run a GreenDog Walkers pledge stall

9

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 10 20/04/2017 16:08

1 PermissionFor a pathside stall, you may need tofind out who owns the property whereyou wish to have your stall. Grocerystore managers, the council, landowners,etc. Once you go through this processthe first time, it gets easier.

2 InsuranceIf you are a constituted group, nodoubt you have public liability insurance.It’s a good idea when you are mixingdogs, kids and strangers at a stall. Ifyou haven’t gotten it yet, look into that.If your group does environmental work,litter picks and by taking on GDW, youmay qualify to join BTCV for a modestfee and then qualify for theirinexpensive public liability insurance.www2.btcv.org.uk

3 Safety and Fun in NumbersA GDW stall doesn’t really work withjust one person running it (we know,we’ve tried that!). Always travel in twosat least. It’s more friendly and peopleare more likely to come talk to you andsign up if you already seem “active” bytalking with your partner or your childor teenager. Maybe one of you hasbrought your (friendly, socialized) dogor puppy along - these things help keepthe atmosphere friendly and upbeat.One person sitting alone is not tooinviting - and in case of the rareconfrontive customer, it’s best to havea backup.

4 Set a Good ExampleWear your armband while

runningthe stall.

Formal Stall

The first kind of stall is moreformal, it is something you planfor ahead of time when you areinvited to, or asked to be partof, another event like a bark inthe park, dog show, communityfair, school fair, etc. It caninclude, along with brochuresand armbands, a display boardwith images from your localauthority’s GDW campaign andyour own collection of photosof your Green Dog Walkersevents (always take pictures!).Keep a scrapbook or supply ofyour publicity and photos andsuch, so you can always beready to set up a display. If youneed to use some from FalkirkCouncil’s collection to getstarted, we have an archive, justemail a request and we can sendthe images by email attachmentfor you to print out.

5 Don’t Just Sit There!People may be reluctant at first to come overto your stall - they may think you are sellingsomething or going to reprimand them. Takea brochure, approach them as they come nearthe area, ask if you can pet their dog, ask thedog’s name, chat, be friendly. Be sure to usethe magic words, “We are asking responsibledog owners to help us get the irresponsibleones to change their attitude about dogfouling.” If you assume you are talking to aresponsible owner from the outset, thedialogue will go much better - so that theydon’t feel they are being singled out orreprimanded. Offer them the brochure to takehome and think about and then add that,alternatively, they can sign up right now andget their armband today. No pressure, giveoptions.

6 EnticementsFor an outdoor stall where people are likelyto come by with their dogs, keep a water dishand water bottle on the ground and a basketof dog treats on the table (the scent drawsthe dogs to your table). Also bring a supply ofdog poo bags - people will come to talk toyou just to get their free bags and then youcan sign them up. Make your table look funand friendly (see Tool Kit, Item 9, page 10)

7 Sharing InformationYou will find out important things andyou can dispense helpful information at thestall. Telling folks where to get their regularsupply of free doggie bags is important,talking about the law is helpful. If they wantto discuss a lack of bins in a particular area,take notes so you can talk to your localauthority about that later. They can also tellyou about other hot spots in town where youmay want to have a stall. Take notes!

Tips on how to run a GreenDog Walkers pledge stall

9

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 11 20/04/2017 16:08

8 KidsYour best weapon and ally is a kid! Kidslove GDW stalls, they will end up helpingyou talk to people and pet their doggies.Get a toy dog mascot - either a greenone (try ebay) or one you can put a greenbandana on, or one of the armbands asa collar. Kids gravitate to talk about themascot, give it a name, adopt it (but notto take it home!). Even adults will stopto joke with you about your mascot.Brownies can earn badges by helpingyou run the stall. A stall on the badly-fouled path near your primary schoolmay work to engage the pupils also.You might involve them in doing a poosurvey the same day you have a stall(Monitoring/Evaluations” pages 16-17.)

9 Tool KitThe basics you need for your pathsidestall are: small table, chairs, banner,brochures, armbands, pens, businesscards, dog biscuits, water bowl and waterbottles, doggie bags,your mascotdog,

council cards and brochures about dogfouling laws, etc. We find that having abackpack devoted to the small stuff anda small portable table is the best way towalk into a park from your car and set upeasily. (If you are having a formal indoorstall, you may want to add a displaybackground board to this, with yourpublicity materials. You may also wantto start a scrapbook of your publicityand photos, to have handy at the stallfor folks to browse.)

10 PublicityThink of your stall as a multi-purposeevent - not only to sign up pledgers butto bring more attention to the campaignand help educate more and more people.Try to get photos of your stall event, getthem in the newspaper or newsletters,see if a photographer will attend fromthe local paper, etc. With publicity likethat, next time people see your stall inthe park, they will know more about whoyou are and be more interested to cometalk to you. Set up a blog about your

campaign, go to dog-relatedchat areas and message

boards ifyou are a computerperson, tell folks allabout it!

11 Legal StuffProperty owner permissions, council licenses (wehad to get one to put a stall up on the sidewalknear the library in Denny, for example), publicliability insurance, disclosures if you have kidsworking the stall with you, etc. Be aware ofthese things, tick all those boxes! For your ownprotection and so that the Green Dog Walkersproject as a whole never gets a bad rep!

12 Dogs at the StallIt can help to have a friendly dog or puppy withyou at the stall outdoors. But make sure youknow the dog you bring along is a goodambassador and be prepared to leash or removethe dog from the scene if any dog confrontationsloom. Don’t bring a dog that tends to aggression- there’s no point in setting up a stall with aguard dog! Be careful if setting up near a dog-walker path, don’t block people’s passage, setyourself to the side so they can pass. Don’t forceyour presence on them, or your dog’s. Just bethere if they want to stop by. At all times befriendly, courteous and aware.

13 BannersA Green Dog Walkers banner is a handy thing tohave. You can have them made up by companiesat ebay for about £35, a six foot banner that willlast many seasons in all weather. If you needmore information on suppliers, email us atgreendogwalkers@yahoo.co.uk.

14 Be OrganisedFigure out a system so that you remember, whenyou get home, which people got an armband andwhich ones need one sent. For example, if yourun out of armbands at the stall, you can stillsign up pledgers and mail them one – so youneed to put a note on the pledge form “sendarmband”, to remind yourself.

If you need help, advice or have other great stallideas to share with us, please contact us!

11

Pathside Stall

The second kind is the “pathside”stall, which you can set upinformally, instantly, on a whimor by making a quick phone callto the property owner getpermission. Or you may set up aschedule to run a pathside stallevery Saturday for a month,hitting different parks in yourcommunity. For example, in theFalkirk area, we have set these upnext to dog walking paths in thepark, near activity centres (thebest time is Saturday morningfor a couple hours), near libraries,entrances to grocery stores(where people often park theirdogs), at footpaths where thereis a particular problem, etc. Wetry to set them up in a differentplace each time, to get newpledgers and new attention tothe project.

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 12 20/04/2017 16:08

8 KidsYour best weapon and ally is a kid! Kidslove GDW stalls, they will end up helpingyou talk to people and pet their doggies.Get a toy dog mascot - either a greenone (try ebay) or one you can put a greenbandana on, or one of the armbands asa collar. Kids gravitate to talk about themascot, give it a name, adopt it (but notto take it home!). Even adults will stopto joke with you about your mascot.Brownies can earn badges by helpingyou run the stall. A stall on the badly-fouled path near your primary schoolmay work to engage the pupils also.You might involve them in doing a poosurvey the same day you have a stall(Monitoring/Evaluations” pages 16-17.)

9 Tool KitThe basics you need for your pathsidestall are: small table, chairs, banner,brochures, armbands, pens, businesscards, dog biscuits, water bowl and waterbottles, doggie bags,your mascotdog,

council cards and brochures about dogfouling laws, etc. We find that having abackpack devoted to the small stuff anda small portable table is the best way towalk into a park from your car and set upeasily. (If you are having a formal indoorstall, you may want to add a displaybackground board to this, with yourpublicity materials. You may also wantto start a scrapbook of your publicityand photos, to have handy at the stallfor folks to browse.)

10 PublicityThink of your stall as a multi-purposeevent - not only to sign up pledgers butto bring more attention to the campaignand help educate more and more people.Try to get photos of your stall event, getthem in the newspaper or newsletters,see if a photographer will attend fromthe local paper, etc. With publicity likethat, next time people see your stall inthe park, they will know more about whoyou are and be more interested to cometalk to you. Set up a blog about your

campaign, go to dog-relatedchat areas and message

boards ifyou are a computerperson, tell folks allabout it!

11 Legal StuffProperty owner permissions, council licenses (wehad to get one to put a stall up on the sidewalknear the library in Denny, for example), publicliability insurance, disclosures if you have kidsworking the stall with you, etc. Be aware ofthese things, tick all those boxes! For your ownprotection and so that the Green Dog Walkersproject as a whole never gets a bad rep!

12 Dogs at the StallIt can help to have a friendly dog or puppy withyou at the stall outdoors. But make sure youknow the dog you bring along is a goodambassador and be prepared to leash or removethe dog from the scene if any dog confrontationsloom. Don’t bring a dog that tends to aggression- there’s no point in setting up a stall with aguard dog! Be careful if setting up near a dog-walker path, don’t block people’s passage, setyourself to the side so they can pass. Don’t forceyour presence on them, or your dog’s. Just bethere if they want to stop by. At all times befriendly, courteous and aware.

13 BannersA Green Dog Walkers banner is a handy thing tohave. You can have them made up by companiesat ebay for about £35, a six foot banner that willlast many seasons in all weather. If you needmore information on suppliers, email us atgreendogwalkers@yahoo.co.uk.

14 Be OrganisedFigure out a system so that you remember, whenyou get home, which people got an armband andwhich ones need one sent. For example, if yourun out of armbands at the stall, you can stillsign up pledgers and mail them one – so youneed to put a note on the pledge form “sendarmband”, to remind yourself.

If you need help, advice or have other great stallideas to share with us, please contact us!

11

Pathside Stall

The second kind is the “pathside”stall, which you can set upinformally, instantly, on a whimor by making a quick phone callto the property owner getpermission. Or you may set up aschedule to run a pathside stallevery Saturday for a month,hitting different parks in yourcommunity. For example, in theFalkirk area, we have set these upnext to dog walking paths in thepark, near activity centres (thebest time is Saturday morningfor a couple hours), near libraries,entrances to grocery stores(where people often park theirdogs), at footpaths where thereis a particular problem, etc. Wetry to set them up in a differentplace each time, to get newpledgers and new attention tothe project.

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 13 20/04/2017 16:08

Engaging the children is animportant part of the Green DogWalkers attitude-shifting campaign

for two reasons: (1) they are our futuredog owners and will take the GDWmessage into their adult life, and (2) theywill take this issue on with greatenthusiasm and creativity.

Since the dog fouling issue has the“ewww” factor and the Green DogWalkers has the logo “mascot” doggie,you will find them eager to help.

Through the school’s ecogroup/teacher, involve them inposter design, poo surveys,

presentations, letters to the editor,etc.

A GDW campaign can bringattention to specific dog foulingareas near the school grounds(many primary schools have aserious problem on the path next tothe school, as parents often walkthe child to school with the dog intow).

An enthusiastic member of yourGDW group can arrange to talk tothe school’s assembly - perhapsteaming up with a communitysafety officer or vet to help talkabout enforcement, fines, healthrisks - as an initial way to engagethe children.

Visit the school’sparent group and see if

they will take part in thecampaign,

setting up a pledge stall at a school fair.

Do role playing with a team of children (4 to 6 isgood, perhaps from the eco group) on how to runa pledge stall, letting the children take turnspretending to be a good and bad dog owner.

Then let the children run the pledge stall at theschool spring and/or Christmas fair. Someone in adog costume is a good touch – also great to havethe children bring in their toy doggies from hometo display at the stall wearing armbands andcollars.

Involvement in the campaign can also help yourschool get its Green Flag.

Fake PooRecipe

To dramatise the problem,kids love to make fake poofor photographs. There arerecipes on the Internet.Here’s one basic method wehave used:

Ingredients:

Chocolate spread

Peanut butter (chunky)

Dirt with bits of grass/leaves mixed in

Mix til the right consistency.(Don’t mix too much or thechocolate gets runny.) Put ina freezer bag, cut a one inchhole in a corner and squeezethe fake poo out from thereinto shapes.

Make sure there is adultsupervision and clean themess away after your photoshoot.

Don’t leave it where dogsmight eat it - chocolate istoxic to them.

Keep away from smallchildren.

Caution: could stainfurniture.

13

��� �����

DunipaceBrowniesPledge Booth:“Brownies andprimary schoolpupils runpledge boothswith greatsuccess.”

Kinnaird Primary School createdtheir own mascot, Buster, for theGDW campaign.

Children, Your Best Allies

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 14 20/04/2017 16:08

Engaging the children is animportant part of the Green DogWalkers attitude-shifting campaign

for two reasons: (1) they are our futuredog owners and will take the GDWmessage into their adult life, and (2) theywill take this issue on with greatenthusiasm and creativity.

Since the dog fouling issue has the“ewww” factor and the Green DogWalkers has the logo “mascot” doggie,you will find them eager to help.

Through the school’s ecogroup/teacher, involve them inposter design, poo surveys,

presentations, letters to the editor,etc.

A GDW campaign can bringattention to specific dog foulingareas near the school grounds(many primary schools have aserious problem on the path next tothe school, as parents often walkthe child to school with the dog intow).

An enthusiastic member of yourGDW group can arrange to talk tothe school’s assembly - perhapsteaming up with a communitysafety officer or vet to help talkabout enforcement, fines, healthrisks - as an initial way to engagethe children.

Visit the school’sparent group and see if

they will take part in thecampaign,

setting up a pledge stall at a school fair.

Do role playing with a team of children (4 to 6 isgood, perhaps from the eco group) on how to runa pledge stall, letting the children take turnspretending to be a good and bad dog owner.

Then let the children run the pledge stall at theschool spring and/or Christmas fair. Someone in adog costume is a good touch – also great to havethe children bring in their toy doggies from hometo display at the stall wearing armbands andcollars.

Involvement in the campaign can also help yourschool get its Green Flag.

Fake PooRecipe

To dramatise the problem,kids love to make fake poofor photographs. There arerecipes on the Internet.Here’s one basic method wehave used:

Ingredients:

Chocolate spread

Peanut butter (chunky)

Dirt with bits of grass/leaves mixed in

Mix til the right consistency.(Don’t mix too much or thechocolate gets runny.) Put ina freezer bag, cut a one inchhole in a corner and squeezethe fake poo out from thereinto shapes.

Make sure there is adultsupervision and clean themess away after your photoshoot.

Don’t leave it where dogsmight eat it - chocolate istoxic to them.

Keep away from smallchildren.

Caution: could stainfurniture.

13

��� �����

DunipaceBrowniesPledge Booth:“Brownies andprimary schoolpupils runpledge boothswith greatsuccess.”

Kinnaird Primary School createdtheir own mascot, Buster, for theGDW campaign.

Children, Your Best Allies

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 15 20/04/2017 16:08

Use Community Feedback! In Falkirk we have so farrun 3 dog fouling surveys since 2009. For the mostrecent one in 2010-2011, to increase the number ofresponders, we ran an ad campaign on a local radiostation and raffled off free dog supplies at pledgebooths for responders. The prizes were products thathelp us to further promote the concept of responsibledog ownership. We made survey forms available bothin print at one stop shops and libraries and on line.

Christmas Awards Celebration: Each year our litterteam holds a Christmas Awards Celebration event for thelitter volunteers in Falkirk. We have set targets for GDWgroups, so at this event they receive trophies, pet supplyvouchers and GDW promotional products as our way ofthanks for their hard work. And it’s a great chance tonetwork and share creative ideas!

We try to stay open to ideasas they come, and to followthese simple guidelines:

Team Work!Teaming up with otherservices, agencies and groupshelps broaden the campaignso you reach more and morepeople. Think of ways toinvolve others and beresponsive to their

invitations!

Listen To WhatThe People Want!We found over timethat some peoplewould prefer a dogcollar than anarmband so now wemake both available.Dogs owners love

their “dog gear” and theirdogs can be ambassadorstoo!

AcknowledgeYour Volunteers!Think of ways to motivateand thank your volunteersfor time and energy spentsigning up pledges!

Keep a Sense of Humour inthe Campaign!

“Properly trained, a mancan be dog’s best friend.”Corey Ford

15

For Inspiration:A Few Falkirk GDW Campaign Events

Teaming Up! The Helix Green Team isa group of pupils from various Falkirkprimary schools who are involved in

a local greenspace transformation projectcalled Helix. The team put together aGDW power point and presented it to theScottish Parliament for the Big Fit Walk inJune 2010. All Big Fit Walks in Edinburghand Falkirk included thechildren wearing theirGDW armbands, whichbrought great mediaattention to thecampaign.

Canine Capers: Each year GDW teams upwith the Falkirk Council Outdoor AccessTeam and other services and agencies(such as Forestry Commission Scotland,local vet surgeries, pet stores, Helix, etc.)to host a family dog day event to helppromote good dog ownership. Agility

demos, contests, stalls for vetsurgeries, dog charities, dog toysand more plus lots of GDWpromoting! GDW will cohost thisevent each year in a differentpark in the Falkirk area, to spreadthe fun and awareness raising!

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 16 20/04/2017 16:08

Use Community Feedback! In Falkirk we have so farrun 3 dog fouling surveys since 2009. For the mostrecent one in 2010-2011, to increase the number ofresponders, we ran an ad campaign on a local radiostation and raffled off free dog supplies at pledgebooths for responders. The prizes were products thathelp us to further promote the concept of responsibledog ownership. We made survey forms available bothin print at one stop shops and libraries and on line.

Christmas Awards Celebration: Each year our litterteam holds a Christmas Awards Celebration event for thelitter volunteers in Falkirk. We have set targets for GDWgroups, so at this event they receive trophies, pet supplyvouchers and GDW promotional products as our way ofthanks for their hard work. And it’s a great chance tonetwork and share creative ideas!

We try to stay open to ideasas they come, and to followthese simple guidelines:

Team Work!Teaming up with otherservices, agencies and groupshelps broaden the campaignso you reach more and morepeople. Think of ways toinvolve others and beresponsive to their

invitations!

Listen To WhatThe People Want!We found over timethat some peoplewould prefer a dogcollar than anarmband so now wemake both available.Dogs owners love

their “dog gear” and theirdogs can be ambassadorstoo!

AcknowledgeYour Volunteers!Think of ways to motivateand thank your volunteersfor time and energy spentsigning up pledges!

Keep a Sense of Humour inthe Campaign!

“Properly trained, a mancan be dog’s best friend.”Corey Ford

15

For Inspiration:A Few Falkirk GDW Campaign Events

Teaming Up! The Helix Green Team isa group of pupils from various Falkirkprimary schools who are involved in

a local greenspace transformation projectcalled Helix. The team put together aGDW power point and presented it to theScottish Parliament for the Big Fit Walk inJune 2010. All Big Fit Walks in Edinburghand Falkirk included thechildren wearing theirGDW armbands, whichbrought great mediaattention to thecampaign.

Canine Capers: Each year GDW teams upwith the Falkirk Council Outdoor AccessTeam and other services and agencies(such as Forestry Commission Scotland,local vet surgeries, pet stores, Helix, etc.)to host a family dog day event to helppromote good dog ownership. Agility

demos, contests, stalls for vetsurgeries, dog charities, dog toysand more plus lots of GDWpromoting! GDW will cohost thisevent each year in a differentpark in the Falkirk area, to spreadthe fun and awareness raising!

x177717_NCC_p1_nm.indd 17 20/04/2017 16:08

Part of your responsibility as a grouptaking on a Green Dog Walkerproject is to do surveys and

evaluations. This is not as onerous as youmight think, and if you involve thechildren, it can be fun as well aseducational. Remember, the surveys mayseem silly but they are very important!

First Survey: Choose an area or group ofareas you will monitor over the next year,where you know a lot of dog-walkinggoes on. Nearby parks, green spaces,streets, etc. As you first launch your GreenDog Walker project - either before oraround the same time as you first begin tosign up pledges and give out armbands -do a “poo count” and record the results.Then make up a wee chart to record thenumber and the date. Involve othervolunteers in other neighbourhoods andyou can get surveys done of differentparts of your town.

Second Survey: Six months later, walkalong the same area and do anothercount. Add those numbers and dates toyour chart, to compare with how it lookedsix months ago.

Final Survey: Six months later, do itagain. Now you have a survey from beforeyour campaign began, during it and at theend of the first-year pilot.

Don’t be discouraged if the numbers atfirst seem to indicate less success thanyou hoped; on the other hand, if theyshow an amazing fast “success”, don’t gettoo excited! Several factors can beinvolved, such as weather, are peoplewalking certain areas more or less due toavailable daylight hours, etc. It really willtake at least a year to see how resultslook “on the ground”.

The other part of the survey is themonitoring of dog bin collections. You willwant to work with your Local Authorityon this part. Try to set up a schedule withthem for the council to do surveys on theuse of the dog bins in the area where youare running the campaign. Hopefully youwill find - as we have in Falkirk Council -that the bins are being used more, whichis a good indicator! You can set up tohave those surveys done every month orquarterly, whatever you prefer. And keeptrack of that too.

Whether it is the local authority oranother funding source, at the end of yourfirst year you may be called upon toreport results of the GDW project. Thesesurveys can be very helpful to you inproviding true indications of success.

Questionnaires: Another part of survey/analysis is tosend out questionnaires to your pledgers. Werecommend you do this six months after the projectstarts and then again at the end of the year. We arehappy to provide you with a sample surveyquestionnaire if you email us atgreendogwalkers@falkirk.gov.uk.

Involving the Children: A few of ways we made thepoo counts fun, while helping document and providevisual materials for our displays at booths, and ourscrap book:

We find that children like to help with thispart of the job. We purchased some golfcounters from ebay - very inexpensive - andtook some children on a walk along dog pathswith us. Keep an eye on their counting, makesure they don’t get carried away with enjoyingthe clicking sound of the counters! Make surethey only click if they really see a dog poo.

Wee Flags: Make up a set of flags (we usedlaminated pieces of the GDW logo andattached them to long green garden sticks)and find an area with a lot of dog poo on theground. Have the children stick the flags inthe ground next to (not in!) the dog poo. Takea picture to show how dramatically bad it is!At six months, do it again at that spot, to seeif there is improvement or to show people it’sstill bad and they need to shape up!

Coloured paint or sand: Some schools have abad problem with footpaths near the school.Their eco groups have led projects wherebythe children poured coloured sand over thedog poos to help people see how bad it was.We read of another district that has used thesame concept, using spray paint(biodegradable).

Fake Poo: Children love making Fake Dog Pooand it can be useful to dramatise the situationwithout actually working near “the real thing”.(See pages 12-13, “Children, Your Best Allies”.)

If you think of other fun, creative ways to involve thechildren in the poo counts, please let us all know!

Resources:

The following websites have further information on the Green Dog Walkers Campaign and Licensing to Local Authorities, including Pledge Forms which can be downloaded:www.falkirk.gov.uk/greendogwalkers

www.cgiscotland.org Green Dog Walkers page (The quarterly publication ‘New Leaf News’ can also be accessed at the CGI website, which runs regular GDW articles and announcements).

www.cgiscotland.org/Page/green_dog_walkers.html (Video Clip from Crufts TV)

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Monitoring/Evaluation

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Part of your responsibility as a grouptaking on a Green Dog Walkerproject is to do surveys and

evaluations. This is not as onerous as youmight think, and if you involve thechildren, it can be fun as well aseducational. Remember, the surveys mayseem silly but they are very important!

First Survey: Choose an area or group ofareas you will monitor over the next year,where you know a lot of dog-walkinggoes on. Nearby parks, green spaces,streets, etc. As you first launch your GreenDog Walker project - either before oraround the same time as you first begin tosign up pledges and give out armbands -do a “poo count” and record the results.Then make up a wee chart to record thenumber and the date. Involve othervolunteers in other neighbourhoods andyou can get surveys done of differentparts of your town.

Second Survey: Six months later, walkalong the same area and do anothercount. Add those numbers and dates toyour chart, to compare with how it lookedsix months ago.

Final Survey: Six months later, do itagain. Now you have a survey from beforeyour campaign began, during it and at theend of the first-year pilot.

Don’t be discouraged if the numbers atfirst seem to indicate less success thanyou hoped; on the other hand, if theyshow an amazing fast “success”, don’t gettoo excited! Several factors can beinvolved, such as weather, are peoplewalking certain areas more or less due toavailable daylight hours, etc. It really willtake at least a year to see how resultslook “on the ground”.

The other part of the survey is themonitoring of dog bin collections. You willwant to work with your Local Authorityon this part. Try to set up a schedule withthem for the council to do surveys on theuse of the dog bins in the area where youare running the campaign. Hopefully youwill find - as we have in Falkirk Council -that the bins are being used more, whichis a good indicator! You can set up tohave those surveys done every month orquarterly, whatever you prefer. And keeptrack of that too.

Whether it is the local authority oranother funding source, at the end of yourfirst year you may be called upon toreport results of the GDW project. Thesesurveys can be very helpful to you inproviding true indications of success.

Questionnaires: Another part of survey/analysis is tosend out questionnaires to your pledgers. Werecommend you do this six months after the projectstarts and then again at the end of the year. We arehappy to provide you with a sample surveyquestionnaire if you email us atgreendogwalkers@falkirk.gov.uk.

Involving the Children: A few of ways we made thepoo counts fun, while helping document and providevisual materials for our displays at booths, and ourscrap book:

We find that children like to help with thispart of the job. We purchased some golfcounters from ebay - very inexpensive - andtook some children on a walk along dog pathswith us. Keep an eye on their counting, makesure they don’t get carried away with enjoyingthe clicking sound of the counters! Make surethey only click if they really see a dog poo.

Wee Flags: Make up a set of flags (we usedlaminated pieces of the GDW logo andattached them to long green garden sticks)and find an area with a lot of dog poo on theground. Have the children stick the flags inthe ground next to (not in!) the dog poo. Takea picture to show how dramatically bad it is!At six months, do it again at that spot, to seeif there is improvement or to show people it’sstill bad and they need to shape up!

Coloured paint or sand: Some schools have abad problem with footpaths near the school.Their eco groups have led projects wherebythe children poured coloured sand over thedog poos to help people see how bad it was.We read of another district that has used thesame concept, using spray paint(biodegradable).

Fake Poo: Children love making Fake Dog Pooand it can be useful to dramatise the situationwithout actually working near “the real thing”.(See pages 12-13, “Children, Your Best Allies”.)

If you think of other fun, creative ways to involve thechildren in the poo counts, please let us all know!

Resources:

The following websites have further information on the Green Dog Walkers Campaign and Licensing to Local Authorities, including Pledge Forms which can be downloaded:www.falkirk.gov.uk/greendogwalkers

www.cgiscotland.org Green Dog Walkers page (The quarterly publication ‘New Leaf News’ can also be accessed at the CGI website, which runs regular GDW articles and announcements).

www.cgiscotland.org/Page/green_dog_walkers.html (Video Clip from Crufts TV)

17

Monitoring/Evaluation

Northumberland County Council has the green dog walker license from Falkirk Council.

Animal Welfare TeamNorthumberland Country Council, Stakeford Depot,East View, ChoppingtonNorthumberland NE62 5TRwww.northumberland.gov.uk/greendogwalkersgreendogwalkers@ northumberland.gov.ukTelephone 01670 623751

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leave only pawprints....® 2011

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