Dog Day Afternoon

We were recently contacted by the Council, asking us to spread the word to Brockley locals that the Lewisham Animal Welfare Service is holding a free microchipping day on Saturday, in partnership with the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and Lewisham Safer Neighbourhood Teams to celebrate the launch of the BARK project.

BARK aims to reduce antisocial behaviour and the mistreatment of dogs. Dog owners will also get a free tag engraved with their details. Dog owners are asked to ring 020 8314 2098 to make an appointment. They will need to bring proof of ownership of their dog and proof of their address, this is open to all Lewisham residents and people can bring as many dogs as they like. The event is being held at the Wearside Service centre from 10.00am -3.00pm.

We're not a dog owner, but we do have to swerve to avoid their mess as we walk down our street. So our first reaction when we got the notice was to ask the BARK team what the Council can do to address irresponsible owners.

This is what they told us:

"We have also held two responsible dog ownership days, one in Crofton Park, the other in Downham.

"On these days our enforcement team, SNT, the graffiti team and ourselves promoted responsible dog ownership, leafleted target streets with information on dog fouling, sprayed stencils in target areas and spoke to dog owners.

"If this is something that your residents would like to happen in their area please let us know, we are hoping to hold one in the Honor Oak Estate area towards the end of November."

If you've seen one of these teams in action in Crofton Park, please let us know how effective you think they were. And if you'd like one to visit your part of Brockley, please post a message here or email us and we'll pass it on.