Rugby players are having to dodge more than just their opponents when they use the sports grounds at Kettle Park.
Despite a Dunedin City Council bylaw banning dogs from marked sports fields, dog waste regularly has to be removed before players can take to the field.
Dog faeces can contain roundworm, and the parasite's eggs can accumulate in soil where dogs are allowed to defecate. As it is sticky, it can collect on the hands and under fingernails and cause severe inflammation and damage to the organs.
Rugby and football are played on the grounds and the Dunedin Rugby Football Club uses the fields for home games and practices.
Dunedin Rugby Football Club junior president Damon Sutherland said the situation had become so bad coaches and managers were having to inspect fields before every practice and game.
As well as the danger dog waste posed for players' health, dogs regularly ran on to the field and dog fights were a common occurrence, Mr Sutherland said.
Trying to coach young children during a rugby practice while dozens of dogs were running across the field was both annoying and potentially dangerous, he said.
Mr Sutherland said on any night at least 30 dogs could be off their leashes, running around the fields.
It seemed the council did not want to take any action, he said.
''What I want to know is why they have signs up around the park if they are just going to let it continue?''
Council senior animal control officer Jim Pryde said it might appear the council was not taking any action but in reality Kettle Park was an area animal control officers visited often.
''There is really not much we can do, sadly, if we don't actually see the issue ourselves ... we have to rely on members of the public letting us know when a bylaw was broken,'' Mr Pryde said.
It was a shame a small minority were giving a bad name to the majority of dog owners, he said.
Dogs are allowed in Kettle Park as long as they are under control and kept off the playing fields.
''At this time of year it can be hard to see the markings of the fields but people walking their dogs at Kettle Park should be aware there are playing fields still in use,'' he said.
- by Tim Miller
