As I was writing the story about a lady who picks up dog poop irresponsible pet owners leave behind, I became appalled.
This wasn’t the first time I had been told or received phone calls on this issue I recalled. This was at least the third time in less than a year that someone has called to tell me about the dog poop problem Green River was having.
I am glad someone called to give credit where credit is do and even though the lady I interviewed this week seemed like she didn’t really want to be in the paper, I am glad she still told her story and allowed me to share it.
I just can’t believe how irresponsible people can be to let their dogs to poop all over the place. Just because it’s not actually on the sidewalk, boardwalk or pathway doesn’t mean it’s OK. There are a lot of people who take their young children for walks on these same pathways and the last thing they need is for their child to get into it. Plus, people exercise on these pathways to take in the nature and water Green River has to offer, not see piles of poo everywhere.
As I became even more infuriated with the poop issue, I started to recall how I once covered Green River City Council meetings on a proposed poop ordinance. For some reason, I could remember covering the issue, but not the outcome. I guess my memory was a bit hazy on that.
I went to the city’s website and clicked through several ordinances to see if I could find it. After about 10 minutes, I gave up and figured a phone call would be faster.
So I called the one person I knew would know, after all if this ordinance was on the books this department would be enforcing it. I spoke with Green River Police Chief Tom Jarvie who said ordinance had passed, but he needed to find where it was placed under the ordinances.
It didn’t take him long to find it. The ordinance is under section 6-4, nuisance animal; proper control to prevent the same. It’s under the (b) portion and states “It shall be unlawful for any person to allow a dog within their control to defecate upon property not owned by them without immediately taking steps to remove the same.”
In a nutshell it means “Don’t let your dog poop on other people’s property and if they do pick it up.” Now one could probably argue that a resident owns the city property because they are a taxpayer. I would argue that they can then mow that grass and pick up all the other poop on that property then.
Even though there is an ordinance on the books, the one flaw is how is the animal control department going to enforce it. Jarvie said they would basically have to catch the dog in the act of committing the crime and then watch to see if the owner does in fact pick up the remains.
This might be a smaller city, but the police and animal control officers have more important things to do than watch to see if someone picks up after their dog.
Knowing this, Jarvie said the animal control officers work more on educating the public about how a responsible pet owner should act and in the summer months drive up and down the Greenbelt with a 4-wheeler reminding residents of the ordinance.
Since this ordinance falls under the nuisance animal ordinance, there is no way for Jarvie to know if anyone has ever been cited for their dog defecating on someone else’s property.
With all of these things in mind, the solution seems simple. Dog owners should just pick up after their dogs. Yes. It’s gross, but that’s was comes with the responsibility of being a pet owner.
Being a responsible pet owner isn’t just about feeding, watering and walking an animal, it’s about picking up after it. Would you let your dog poop all over your house and yard without ever picking it up? I doubt it. And if that’s the case, that would fall under the nuisance animal ordinance too.
The city has gone out of its way to provide dog waste disposal bags and disposal areas throughout the pipeline path and Greenbelt so those with pets that poo and easily clean it up.
The bags are free to residents who want to do the responsible thing and pick up after their dog.
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