Owner: My Dog's Poop Not My Responsibility

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I see no reason to pick up my dog’s poop, and I’m tired of being told that it’s my responsibility. I’m a taxpayer, and part of those taxes go toward cleaning the streets. If my dog poops on the curb or the sidewalk, the city should clean it up. That’s what I pay for. I also don’t see why my neighbor gets so upset when my dog poops on her front lawn. It’s all fertilizer. It’s time for big government to do its job and stop making us pick up after our dogs. -- Bill in Burlington

DEAR BILL: Well, that’s a poopy attitude. Here’s the simple fact: You are responsible for your dog. Not the city, not your neighbor. Where your dog’s actions impact other people, animals or the environment, it’s your responsibility to minimize or prevent that impact.

Dog poop left on the sidewalk, curb or street eventually breaks down, right? Wrong. It gets stepped on by other animals or people, who track fecal bacteria all over the place. It washes into the wastewater system and introduces new bacteria into natural waterways, sickening wildlife. The neighbor’s yard is a no-go zone because it’s their yard, plain and simple. Dog poop or urine can discolor or even burn their grass. Your dog is trespassing. And if you think that letting your dog poop in a park is OK, think again. Would you want a little kid running barefoot in the park to step in that poop?

All those problems are minimized when you take along a little baggie (preferably a compostable one), pick up that poop and dispose of it properly. There’s no need to debate this. Pick it up.