SINGAPORE - There have been calls over the years for harsher penalties for dog owners and walkers who fail to pick up after their dogs in public spaces. Such behaviour can also cause friction among neighbours. To encourage dog owners to clean up their act in Bukit Timah, where up to a third of the households are dog owners, a group of young people launched the PAWsitive Norms campaign last Saturday (April 10). They aim to get dog owners to abide by what they describe as previously unwritten social norms - namely keeping dogs leashed on walks, cleaning up any dog waste and throwing it away in designated bins. "For a lot of us in the area, this issue (of dog waste littering) is a longstanding one so we decided to take it into our own hands," said Mr Tatum Khoo, chairman of the Bukit Timah Youth Network behind the campaign. The 24-year-old public servant said the idea had been in the works for a while, but was firmed up at the end of last year. For a start, the campaign has invited people to make virtual pledges to express their support for the guidelines. The campaign has started in the Mayfair Park Estate in Upper Bukit Timah, and organisers hope to take it throughout the estate and...