Litter damage

Littering is out of control around here, particularly in the parks and up at Donnington Castle where people tend to congregate for picnics now they can't go to Costa or Pret or McDonalds or wherever they used to drag their kids. Now you see families waddling up to the castle with their buggies and kids most days. In the evenings they make way for the teenagers; parking up to smoke joints and shag their girlfriends. 

The resulting mess is indescribable. Cigarette packets, McDonalds and KFC meals - whole meals, including chicken legs, burgers and chips - left on the grass. Strongbow and Red Bull cans scatter the hills and chocolate wrappers whizz past in the wind before settling down along the path. 

Amidst the debris, the families sit happily with their children, adding to the piles of rubbish. 

Walking Dolly at dusk last week (and raging), I went back the following morning with dog and bin liner. All the rubbish from the night before was exactly where it had been left, so we picked our way through the kids and the mums and filled the bin liner with litter. Two women thanked me and I felt like screaming at them; "You could have done this! Any one could have. It doesn't get dropped by magic and Sammy the Gorilla isn't going to swing by and pick it up either." The attitude seems to be one of mild confusion that no one is going to just pop along each evening and pick up all the crap (oh yes, add dog poo/dog poo bags into the mix. No one picks that those either). 

Apart from anything, having glass and metal strewn across the countryside is a hazard. What if a child tried to pick up a crushed can of Special Brew and cut their hand open? Ironically as it turned out, it wasn't a child that got hurt, it was Dolly. After dropping our bulging bag in the bin (I know right? There are actually bins right by these places you can PUT YOUR LITTER IN), we were going to go on a walk through Jurassic Park round the back of the castle when Dolly suddenly stopped. And as I looked back I could see blood gushing out of her pad, which she must have sliced open on a piece of can or glass when we were litter picking. 

We got home and I wrapped the paw up in gauze, bleeding and obviously very sore. The next day it was still bleeding and Dolly wasn't weight bearing, so I took her to the vet and we agreed to bandage and wash it daily to try and avoid stitches. The thought of trying to leave Dolly on her own at the vet's did not appeal...

All I can say is thank goodness she is insured for starters, and although very bored at having to stay at home, the wound is slowly healing so hopefully we will be back out on our travels very soon. Suffice to say we shall be giving the park and Donnington Castle a very wide berth. 






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