A group of enthusiastic local dog walkers, the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and the Anagach Woods Trust are working together to highlight dog issues at Anagach Woods and around Grantown-on-Spey.

The group, which is made up of local residents, is looking at how to make things easier for dog owners to do the right thing and keep the woods a clean and pleasant place for people to enjoy.

This will begin by trying to highlight and better understand the extent of the problem of dog fouling along the local paths. Volunteers will use brightly coloured animal marker spray paint over the coming weeks to highlight dog mess on the main paths and to help assess where the worst affected areas are.

Group member Linda Stone said: “Anagach is a great place for me to exercise my dogs, but we have to ensure that we take responsibility and make sure that others don’t have to put up with the mess our dogs leave behind. By getting together as a group, we hope to demonstrate our commitment to keeping the woods an excellent place for everyone to enjoy.”

The ‘Poopod’, a device first seen on TV’s Dragon’s Den, is also being trialled by some group members. The Poopod is an all in-one dog walking kit, combining a detachable dog lead, a poo-bag roll holder and a flip-lid compartment for storing used bags in a handy washable unit.

The group aim to find out through the trial if the Poopod is a realistic option that dog walkers could use to help alleviate the problem of poo bags being hung from trees and bushes.

CNPA Board Member Jaci Douglas said: We are lucky to have such a wonderful area where we can walk right on the doorstep of Grantown. It is us, the local residents, and the visitors who use the woods that have the responsibility for looking after them.”