Do your part, clean up after your pet

Published 3:11 pm Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Thank you, Becky Prenovost, for your letter about inconsiderate dog owners who do not pick up after their pets.

Whether it is a public park, school grounds or street sidewalk, no one appreciates what your pet has left behind due to your laziness. I see a lot of dog waste every time I am in Game Farm Park and don’t understand it when the City provides waste disposal bags for your use – free of charge. Never have I been to that park and had the dispenser empty, so please show some courtesy for all park patrons by using them every visit – not just occasionally.

Part of being a good dog owner is taking proper care of your pet, and that includes disposal of their waste. I, too, walk my dog in Game Farm Park and love the surroundings plus interactions with children who love my dog.

It is disgusting to see the waste when there are so many children there for recreation and family fun – it is a dangerous health hazard. City Park staff are also at risk when they are mowing, cleaning, etc.

Believe me, those who do not clean up after their pet will not be reading signs nor obeying them because obviously they don’t think it means them. A few lazy people who are not considerate enough to clean up after their pet are threatening the places we good pet owners will be able to use in the future.

I also walk my dog at a neighboring school where I always carry dog waste bags (that I buy). But again, it is a major issue. People allow their large dogs to leave waste on playing fields that our children use for baseball, track, soccer, etc.

It is a major health issue if a child gets feces into an open cut, scratch or sore while participating in a school event. Your child only has to go through it once for you to become a crusader for clean grounds.

Offenders, please show a little respect for others by doing your part and cleaning up after your pet. All park patrons will appreciate your small sacrifice by bending over, taking five seconds to pick up and dispose of waste in one of the many trash cans that are everywhere in the park.

If you can’t do it, maybe you shouldn’t be a pet owner.

– Peggy Wright