Neighborhood Sidewalks are Covered in Dog Poop in the Snow – Let’s do better
Good grief. What is happening on our sidewalks this winter? Dog poop and poop bags, just left in the snow mounds on the sidewalks of South Boston. Is there something about winter and the snow that makes dog owners feel like it’s okay to just leave it there?
Walking around the neighborhood in snow and ice is challenging enough, let alone dodging little “surprises” left behind by some lazy dog owner. Kindly pick up after your dog.
The City of Boston takes this stuff seriously. Under the city’s dog fouling ordinance (Section 16-1.10a) — better known as the “Pooper Scooper Law” — dog owners are required to pick up and properly dispose of their dog’s waste. That rule applies everywhere: sidewalks, streets, parks, and even your neighbor’s property. You could be hit with a $50 fine for each violation.
Another reason not to leave dog poop or poop bags around? They attract rats – evidently, rats enjoy eating dog poop…ewwww! No one wants rats in their neighborhood! So please pick up your dog’s poop, put your poop bags in the trash cans, and don’t leave them on the street or piled up next to trees at the park.
Here are some tips to help you be a better dog owner.
Maureen Dahill is the founder of Caught in Media. Once a longtime wardrobe and prop stylist for brands such as Rue La La, TJ Max & Hasbro, she is a devoted lover of vintage clothing, Martini Mondays, Castle Island, AND a 4th generation South Boston native. Mother of three, married to Peter G.
Dog owners, the newest entitled group .
Poo should be picked up but I think the bigger issue is people still not shoveling their sidewalks at all (including the City Parks and Recreation). Still have to walk in the middle of some streets just to get around (or letting turn to ice) and just increasing the danger. How do they get away with it?
Someone was leaving Bags Of Dog Poop next store to me in the Alley and I have had Giant Rats in My Yard . Then I have to call the exterminator and can’t go in My Yard .
I walked around the block with my grandson and I counted 15 piles. These didn’t appear after snow melt either. They were fresh and on the cleared sidewalks.
This has been a serious issue in our neighborhood even before the snow. The 20-something dog owners in Southie have no regard for anyone but themselves and are too lazy and entitled to clean up after their “fur babies.” They lack any appreciation of community and empathy towards their neighbors. It is a culture of individualism taken to the extreme level of pure narcissism by transplants who have no respect for the neighborhood we call home. Somebody in local government needs to initiate some sort of serious policy change to tackle this issue that is making Southie’s streets look like the bottom of a port-a-potty.