The Helix is a popular spot for dog walkers so it’s the perfect venue for the 7th Canine Capers, a popular annual event for dogs and their owners.

The one day event has a variety of fun competitions which include a ‘most dashing dog’ and ‘best trick’ categories but also promotes responsible dog ownership, in particular, scooping the poop!

‘Poo the musical’ will also feature at Canine Capers day on the 13th of June. The musical was created by Helen Bang to raise awareness of dog fouling and will be performed by the Youth Performance Group. Four performances will be available over three days and free tickets are available at the Steeple Box Office.

Councillor Jim Blackwood, spokesperson for Public Protection said: “Both events combined will send out a strong message about responsible dog ownership.

“The Council provides over four million dog bags each year so there is no excuse for dog owners not cleaning up after their pets.

“Dog fouling is a key issue for many people and Canine Capers is just one of a number of initiatives and campaigns used to promote responsible dog ownership across the area.”

Each year over four million dog bags are provided free to dog owners across the area and complaints about dog fouling are reducing year on year. There are a number of campaigns which run throughout the year too promote responsible dog ownership including:

Green Dog Walkers – launched seven years ago it now has over 1,000 pledgers in the Falkirk Council area and the campaign is running in 26 other local authorities
Schools – Litter Strategy Team work with schools to produce their own dog fouling campaigns and promote them to their peers, families and friends
Wanted campaign – targets areas with high levels of dog fouling encouraging residents to report dog fouling

Dog fouling remains a significant concern for local residents and in the last 18 months 80 fixed penalties have been handed out for this form of anti social behaviour.