‘Icky trend’ of doggy-doo giftbags is a pet peeve with many readers

Dog owners who pick up after their pooch and then drop the package on the ground when nobody is looking is a bigger problem than it may seem.

A Fixer column last week about someone who is fouling my neighbourhood by scooping the poop and then tossing the bag was familiar to readers, who said people are playing the same deceitful game in their area.

But it’s important to make clear that it reflects on a small minority of dog owners. It only takes a couple of people to foul a neighbourhood. If a dozen dog people did the same thing, it would be a disaster.

So it’s more of a scourge than epidemic. But many sent me emails calling out owners over little knotted bags of dog waste that litter their local streets.

The most outrageous came from a woman whose husband has a landscaping business. She said their employees have first-hand knowledge of the perils of dog waste.

“All of our staff have been covered with dog poop and even gotten a mouthful using a powerful trimmer,” she said. “The only thing helping them during COVID-19 is we have equipped them with face shields and masks.”

“I also observe little ‘gift bags’ along my cycling and walking routes, in increasing numbers,” said Judith Butler. “It’s almost as though people think that during a pandemic, the regulations that make our city livable are now but petty annoyances to be flaunted whenever you can get away with it.”

Michael Thomas, who lives in Uxbridge, said “people here are just as bad. “We find bags of poop on our property often. Once, while my wife was gardening someone threw a bag over the fence. It just missed hitting her.

Susan Burge said she lives outside of Hamilton, where “I find doggie bags on the ground often. I posted the problem on our community Facebook page and was told that people leave them on the ground because they are using biodegradable doggie bags.

“These clever dog owners think these filled bags will miraculously absorb into the environment.”

“I have been noticing the same thing here in Niagara-on-the-Lake for at least five years,” said Will Wilson. “And alas, the number of little ‘surprises’ I encounter when walking my own dog seems to be growing.

“This icky trend is not the handiwork of some lone prankster/sociopath, it is a ‘thing.’”

“This has been a pet peeve of mine for years,” said Luisa Tirone. “I have been complaining about people that just throw their doggy-doo off to the side for someone else to pick up. I often wondered what their homes look like.”

“Unfortunately we have the same situation in Markham,” said Ed Legere. “My wife and I have also seen bags of brown stuff lying right beside park garbage bins.

“We love dogs but unfortunately we’re not loving the owners so much.”

What’s broken in your neighbourhood? We want to know. Email jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer on Twitter.