Maxi Zoo, Ireland’s largest pet retailer, has launched an initiative to encourage dog owners to pick up their dogs poop. The campaign, titled #ScoopThePoop, will run for the month of July and aims to educate the public on the importance of picking up after their dog – in the hope to help tackle this topical issue which is a major problem in all counties across Ireland.

To be proactive, Maxi Zoo will be giving away 1.5 million degradable poop bags to dog owners both in store and at select regional parks to help keep our parks and streets poop free. They plan to be on site to support dog owners and to help create more awareness to encourage responsible dog ownership.

“This issue really gets conversations going” said Ciaran O’ Neill, Managing Director of Maxi Zoo Ireland, “When we talk about #ScoopThePoop, we hear many different opinions on what people should and should not do – when picking up their dog’s poop. We have found that the majority of dog walkers are responsible, but there are still some who claim they would not pick up after their dog if it was in a natural area, such as on grass or in a woodland.” He continued “Many other dogs, dog walkers and children often walk off path – so it is important that dog owners take the necessary action to avoid potentially ruining someone’s day!”

A recently reported on survey, commissioned by Maxi Zoo, that had over 2000 responses – highlighted the behaviour and attitudes of dog owners and had some interesting results.  It showed that one in 10 dog owners feel embarrassed when picking up their dogs poop – however,  over half of the survey respondents claimed that they would be more encouraged to pick up their dogs poop if they saw a social media influencer talking about it online.

With this in mind, Maxi Zoo have turned to the help of Louise Cooney, influencer and animal lover and Pete Wedderburn, also known as Pete the Vet – to help raise awareness for the campaign and encourage those who may feel embarrassed to #ScoopThePoop!

Speaking at the launch, Pete states that; “Irish people love their dogs, but unfortunately they don’t always love picking up after them. This is a shame, as it’s an essential part of being a responsible dog owner. Dog poop is unsightly and unpleasant, and worse than this, it can carry bacteria and parasites that can harm human health. I’m delighted that Maxi Zoo are running their #ScoopThePoop campaign. The generosity of Maxi Zoo will make it easier for dog owners to #ScoopThePoop, making Ireland a cleaner, safer country for everyone.”

Ciaran O’Neill, Managing Director of Maxi Zoo Ireland also stated; “We are delighted to have the help of Louise and Pete on this campaign – we hope to encourage a change in behaviour of Irish dog owners and hope the #ScoopThePoop campaign will have a positive impact to help tackle this issue.” He continued “At Maxi Zoo, we hope to do all we can to support our customers and their pets to ensure a clean and safe environment for everyone so we hope the public will join us by engaging with #ScoopThePoop both online and in practice.”

For more information on the #ScoopThePoop campaign, visit the Maxi Zoo Facebook page @maxizooireland. To receive a roll of Maxi Zoo degradable poop bags, visit your local store.