Cowdenbeath dogs get tar chippings in paws from roadworks

Charlie and Oscar, both Shih Tzu’s, had lumps stuck in their pads from walks in the area. This came after James Street, South Street, Sinclair Drive, and Woodend Drive had resurfacing works completed last year and loose chippings were not swept away.

Carol Leitch, the dogs’ owner, said of Charlie: “He’s blind now so he takes a wee bit longer to walk anywhere and it was his pads that were mostly compacted, it took over an hour to get the tar out his paws, and that’s the second time.

The lumps of tar that came out of Charlie's paws. (Image: Darren Leitch)

“He was at the groomers on November 9, and she phoned and told me about the tar in his paws, and then he was there last week and it’s the very same thing, and it’s like hard lumps she says.

“He didn’t like going out for a walk anymore, when he went to the gate he just turned back and it was as if he thought ‘I’m not walking on that, that’s too sore’. It’s ridiculous honestly.”

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The loose chipping is present both on the roads and the pavements.

Carol told the Times: “He’s got a lot to contend with as it is, but he’s generally a happy wee soul, and usually when you say to him ‘you going a walk Charlie?’ oh, he’s there!

Removing the tar from Charlie's paws cost Carol more money at the groomers. (Image: Darren Leitch)

“But no, the minute he got to the gate he just didn’t want to go, so it ended up that my husband was having to carry him down to the end of the road so that he could get on the grass and then he was alright.”

Removing the tar from Charlie’s paw meant that his visit to the groomers came at a total cost of £90.

Service manager Mark Dewar said that the council has been in touch with the contractor responsible for the recent roadworks in Cowdenbeath and that a clean-up was being organised for next week.