Smart Mobile business owner Prajwal Khatiwada said he and neighbouring businesses were encountering an ever increasing "pile of poo" in the carpark at the rear of their Thames St businesses.
It has been causing real distress, including the stink and mess of dog poo being trodden in on shoes, he said.
Mr Khatiwada said the dog faeces stink had been constant from his setup in April. The stink was a talking point with neighbouring businesses, including Creative Us, whose occupants were also upset.
"I’m here four months and it’s been going on ever since then. I always park my car here and I said we should do something," Mr Khatiwada said.
"It’s very bad every day."
Mr Khatiwada said he had seen a dog owner letting their dog off in the carpark between 7am to 9am most mornings, but had not attempted a confrontation.
Artist Alicia Hall, of the adjoining Colour Me Creative pop-up shop, said she had also dealt with the not-so-pleasant squish of dog faeces in the carpark.
"Stepping in dog poo ... it’s disgusting. This was my introduction to Oamaru, " the visiting Palmerston artist said.
Fellow Colour Me Creative artist Colette O’Kane said they had been left with "piles of this disgusting mess" on a daily basis. They had appealed to the better nature of dog owners by putting up a sign.
"A number of times one of us has pulled up out the back and stepped into it, which is a great thing to have stuck on one’s footwear, dragging it into our gallery — this on a public driveway and walkway behind shops between Coquet and Eden Sts, " she said.
"It’s disgusting."
This week, Waitaki District Council regulatory manager Andrew Bardsley said they had identified the offending dog owner.
Council staff would be instructing the owner on their responsibilities, including cleaning up their dog’s mess.
"We’ll also be in touch with Ms O’Kane about this, and thank her for bringing it to our attention," Mr Bardsley said.
In the past four years the council had pinged only seven dog owners for not cleaning up.
But a council animal control officer needed to directly witness a dog in the act to issue a fine to their owner.
The other option was for a member of the public to step up with a signed witness statement, Mr Bardsley said.
The fine for dogs left running loose in a restricted area is $300, set by the Dog Control Act (1996), not by the council.
"There are [only] five members of council staff with the power to issue infringements of this type," he said.
He urged the public who might be affected by the same issue to contact the animal management team.
The council is updating its dog bylaw and dog control policy, something which Ms O’Kane intended to speak to at a public hearing.
Key changes proposed include allowing dogs on a leash in what is now the dog-prohibited central Oamaru area, including Thames St.
