Napier City Council gets into the April Fools spirit
Napier City Council has marked the first of April by putting out a media release advising residents that in three months’ time, all dogs in the city will be required to wear “canine nappies” in public places.
“This initiative has been introduced in response to complaints from the public about the amount of dog droppings in the city’s parks and reserves,” the council says.
“The specially-designed canine nappies are made from environmentally-friendly materials and are fully biodegradable. They will come in three sizes to ensure a secure fit for dogs of all shapes and sizes and will be a gender-neutral colour.
“The nappies, based on a Parisian design, are branded with the Napier City Council logo. Owners must use the Council-branded nappies, as these are the only canine nappies that are fully biodegradable. Nappies will be available for purchase from Napier supermarkets from early June. They are likely to cost around $2.50 each and will come in packs of 10.”
The release was issued complete with photos of Hazel the Labrador modelling one of the dog nappies.
“For years we have tried to educate the city’s dog-owning public to carry plastic bags and pick up their dog’s droppings. This seems to have fallen on deaf ears,” the release quotes City Services Director Lance Titter saying.
“Not only that, plastic bags are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable. This new initiative solves two problems – the elimination of dog droppings in public spaces, and waste minimisation through a reduction in non-biodegradable plastic bags.”
“We realise this will be adding an additional cost burden to dog-owners, but in the long-term the benefits are worth it.”
The media release concludes by warning Napier’s dog owners that from July 1, if their pets are caught not wearing a nappy in public spaces, owners will be liable for an instant $50 fine.
