It might be the Year of the Dog, but Quinton Keyser says that's no excuse for dog owners not to pick up after their pets.
Inaction from city officials over providing dog-poo bins for the popular Mangaone Stream walkway has prompted the resident from suburban Cloverlea to take the matter into his own hands.
Since April last year, Keyser a dog owner and member of the Feilding Dog Training Club, had been lobbying the Palmerston North City Council to provide rubbish bins on the walkway that runs behind his house.
At the weekend, under a handwritten cardboard "bag it, bin it" sign, he attached a DIY bag dispenser made from a 2-litre plastic bottle to a pole on the Rosedale Cres access to the walkway, with a small plastic bucket to take the bagged doos.
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The sign also carried a plea for dog owners to pick up after their animals.
Keyser said he would empty the bucket into his own weekly collected commercial waste bin.
"I'm paying for it, but there is room in [the bin] for it. It's a temporary solution until we get a permanent solution."
The walkway's leash-free status made it a popular dog-walking destination and Keyser had no beef with that. He just wished dog owners from other parts of town wouldn't leave mementos of their visit behind.
"I emailed the council about getting a bin-and-bag dispenser. I even offered to empty the bin and restock it with bags."
Tired of waiting for a reply, he posted a picture of his solution on Neighbourly and on Facebook, and said it had already attracted plenty of comments.
"It's all about making this a nice community for everyone. Here's the facility, please use it, and if the council put in a bin, it'll make things even easier."
City council property manager John Brenkley said he was unaware of Keyser's requests, but a report on the numbers and placement of bins was due in April.
"We are doing an audit on what we've got and where it is, and that involves talking with the people who empty the bins."
Brenkley said the the temporary Rosedale Cres bin and dispenser sounded as if it was in a good location.
The focus for the council, though, would be on providing bins over dispensers.
"Responsible dog owners don't leave home without a lead and their own bags," he said.
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