The problem of prodigious amounts of dog faeces along the West Harbour walkway was highlighted when a St Leonards family counted more than 200 deposits during a weekend walk.
St Leonards resident Antonia Wood said her family used the track regularly and she was frustrated by the amount of droppings found along the way.
On Sunday she decided to highlight the problem, literally.
Armed with a can of water-soluble spray paint she took her children along the walkway, painting every deposit they found fluorescent orange.
Miss Wood said they counted a total of 217 piles of dog faeces and there were likely to have been more they had missed.
The spray paint idea came from a desire to raise awareness about the problem with other users of the trail.
‘‘We didn’t want other people to stand in it like we have been, and also for people to see how much there is around and how disgusting it is.’’
She said it was hard not to feel resentful towards dog walkers although she thought it was probably just a few owners.
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said the council had not received any specific complaints about dog faeces on the walkway.
Dog owners were entitled to receive six rolls of compostable bags with their dog’s registration.
