It seems that some dog owners have no respect for the health of others. They turn the footpaths and parks into a place where you see a new dropping almost every day.

Sometimes someone is unfortunate enough to step on the dropping and in an attempt to clean their shoe they spread it over about a meter on the footpath, making it difficult for mothers with strollers to pass without running over some of it.

My child’s feet can reach the wheels of the stroller, and with the habit of putting the hand straight in the mouth after touching the feet, there is a risk of catching the disease toxocariasis which is caused by roundworm in dog litter.

This disease can cause blindness, liver damage and even damage to other parts of the body including the brain.

In the case of blindness, it is irreversible. The larvae of the roundworm can penetrate through the skin of a bare footed host entering the body that way. Something to consider if your child plays in the parks bare footed.

Perhaps if enough people were aware of this public health issue and complained about the dog litter something may be done about it.