Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity are looking for partners to take part in the successful dog-fouling intervention – Walk this Way!
This proven and evidenced project aims to reduce dog fouling incidents by nudging owners to correctly dispose of their dog’s waste. Project partners, selected through an application process, will run this innovative project to help keep popular dog walking areas free from dog mess and create cleaner, more enjoyable spaces for everyone to enjoy.
A Foul Problem
Dog fouling is seen as one of the biggest littering nuisances blighting public spaces and consistently one of the highest sources of complaints to local authorities. Whether you own a dog or not, dog poo impacts on us all.
To better understand the issue and identify the behaviors contributing to the problem, we polled 2,000 dog owners and discovered that:
- 13% of owners admitted to leaving bagged dog poo behind (either accidently or deliberately)
- Of those, 54% said that they had done so because there were no bins nearby
- Other reasons given were forgetting to collect on the way back; bins being full; and not wanting to carry it around
About Walk this Way
With poor bin infrastructure identified as a leading barrier to dog owners correctly disposing of their dog waste, Walk this Way was born.
First piloted with just 6 partners in 2017, we achieved positive results by reducing fouling instances by 38%. Working with 15 local authority and landowner partners in 2018, a reduction of 40% was achieved. We have bigger, more ambitious plans for 2022, which we would like you to be a part of.
Walk this Way has since gone on to win two awards in its application of using behaviour change techniques in tackling dog fouling: winning first place at the Health Psychology in Public Health Annual Conference and the highly commended award in the ‘Nudge for Good’ category at Nudgestock 2018, the festival of behavioural science.
What will the project look like?
Walk this Way will involve creating dog-friendly walking routes in a park, nature reserve, coastal, or woodland area. These routes will facilitate more opportunities for owners to correctly dispose of dog waste by improving your sites bin-infrastructure and salience.
We will provide you with the materials needed to plot your dog walking routes, including welcome signage, a selection of colourful route markers, and bin stickers/ wraps to remind owners that any litter bin can be used to dispose of dog waste.
Welcome signs at site entrances will greet visitors and introduce this dog-friendly approach to eliminating dog fouling. Your walking routes will be mapped, and colour coded (dependant on length) and displayed on your welcome signs. Route markers will be positioned at every 200 metres to ensure walkers are on the correct path. Additional bins, provided by you, will be placed at every kilometre, allowing ample opportunity for correct disposal. Furthermore, your newly positioned bins won’t be missed with their new, eye-catching graphics.
Suitable Sites
Walk this Way has been designed to be effective across larger sites with multiple walking routes and where opportunities to correctly dispose of dog waste are less frequent.
Previously successful sites included large-scale parks, coastal/ river walks, and even a newly developed old mineral line! As you will be required to install a welcome sign(s) and route markers, you will need to identify if there are any existing features within the site which they can be affixed to. In the absence of suitable existing features, you will need to install wooden posts or equivalent to affix the sign(s) and markers.
What is involved
We would work together, in partnership, for a total of 10 months to cover; baseline research, (1 month) installation of the intervention (approx. 1 month) and monitoring of its impact (intermittent throughout the remaining 8 months, depending on your availability). Throughout this period, we will offer support and guidance to help you successfully deliver and measure the success of the project.
| Date | Task |
| March – April | Partners to attend an online briefing session (w/c 14th March) Partners to have planned walking routes, bin allocation and provided route map for welcome sign(s) (w/c 21st March) Partners to have ordered Walk This Way materials (w/c 28th March) Intervention materials received from Dogs Trust (w/c 18th April) |
| May | Partners to begin pre-monitoring baseline data collection (w/c 2nd May for four consecutive weeks) Baseline monitoring ends (w/c 23rd May) Installation of Walk This Way materials, bins and walking routes defined (w/c 30th May) |
| June – July | Partners to begin monitoring post installation (Phase 1) (w/c 6th June for four consecutive weeks) Phase 1 Monitoring ends (w/c 27h June) All data to be sent to DT for analysis (w/c 4th July) Phase 1 Perception surveys (as described in table below) to be carried out by Dogs Trust (w/c 18th July). All partners will be notified in advance. Phase 1 Partner interviews to be conducted during w/c 25th July |
| September – November | Phase 2 monitoring begins (w/c 26th September for four consecutive weeks) Phase 2 monitoring ends (w/c 24th October) All data to be sent to DT for analysis (w/c 31st October) Phase 2 Perception surveys (as described in table below) to be carried out by Dogs Trust (w/c 7th November). All partners will be notified in advance. Phase 2 Partner interviews to be conducted during w/c 14th November |
| A full analysis and report will be written of the project by Dogs Trust (date TBC) Promotion of results to local press and national press (date TBC) |
Monitoring and evaluation framework
The monitoring and evaluation aspect of the project will be managed by Dogs Trust. All partners will receive a full summary of results following completion of the intervention.
| Monitoring activity | Responsible organisation | Timings |
| Dog fouling counts Partners will count all instances of dog fouling and littered bagged dog poo three times a week for 4 weeks before (baseline monitoring) and 4 weeks after (Phase 1 monitoring). Partners will be required to carry a second phase of monitoring (phase 2) 6 months after the materials have been installed over 4 consecutive weeks. Partners will record this data in a form provided by Dogs Trust and submit this by the dates indicated on the form. The aim of the dog fouling monitoring is to assess the impact of the intervention on dog fouling levels at the locations. | Partners – all locations | Counts to be conducted (three times a week) from w/c 2nd May to w/c 27th June (baseline and Phase 1 monitoring phases) – exact dates will be negotiated with partners. Counts to be conducted (three times a week) for phase 2 monitoring from w/c 26th September to w/c 24th October – exact dates will be negotiated with partners. |
Perception Surveys In selected areas, and to assess the perceived effectiveness of the intervention, Dogs Trust will undertake market research across some sites. | Dog’s Trust | Phase 1 perception surveys to be carried out by Dogs Trust (w/c 18th July). All partners will be notified in advance. Phase 2 perception surveys to be carried out by Dogs Trust (w/c 7th November). All partners will be notified in advance. |
| Partner interviews A short semi-structured telephone interview with all partners, conducted by Dogs Trust. The aim of interviews is to identify partners’ views on what worked well in the project, what could be improved and their observations of impacts. | Dog’s Trust and all Partners | Phase 1 Partner interviews will take place during w/c 25th July following submission of phase 1 monitoring data Phase 2 Partner interviews will take place during w/c 14th November following submission of phase 2 monitoring data Dog’s Trust will book the interviews in with each partner in advance. |
Partner Requirements:
To ensure your project runs successfully we need each partner to commit to:
- At least 10 months for project lead-in time, intervention installation and monitoring
- Provide a nominated contact to manage and monitor the project throughout the intervention period (additional monitoring staff may be required)
- Provide communications contact to support the promotion of the intervention (all promotional materials will be provided)
- To monitor dog fouling instances both before and after the installation of the intervention using the methodology and tools provided
- To attend an online briefing session before the project commences
- To bring together different stakeholders required to manage the project locally e.g the Council, cleansing contractors, local business groups and encourage local support
- To help create and define walking routes across your chosen location
- To install Walk This Way installation materials and provide additional general waste bins along walking routes, ensuring ample and even distribution
- To participate in a post intervention interview
- One-off fee of £300 to cover the cost of site materials
What we will provide:
- ‘Walk this Way’ intervention materials (route signage, sign, and markers)
- Pre-intervention training
- Guidance and support throughout the intervention
- Monitoring and evaluation framework
- PR and digital support (template press release and digital assets)
- Evaluation report
- Our passion and enthusiasm to eliminate dog poo from your chosen site!
Still undecided?
Walk this Way not only reduced dog fouling instances, but also increased the perceived value of the area. In fact, 63% of site users agreed that the site had become a more enjoyable place to be, and 60% became more aware how the local authority / site owner was trying to make improvements to the area.
And if you still need some convincing, we will finish on some lovely testimonials from our previous partners.
“The intervention exceeded my expectations as we had a lot of positives”
“Whilst I was out [at the site] one afternoon, one lady told me she was using the walks not only to get her dog fit, but to also get herself fit. Her friend is also doing the same.”
“We’re already thinking about running it in another area and seeing if it would work in different areas.”
“We would be interested in running it in more locations because we have seen such a good reduction.”
How do I get involved?
If you’re committed to eliminating dog fouling instances and have a site in mind, we would love to hear from you! Please complete the Expression of Interest form to provide us with more information on your site suitability.