How is the dog waste situation in your neighborhood? In North Everett, it is atrocious. Any and all grassy strips between the sidewalk and the road are waste-laden. Property owners will testify the poop doesn’t stop there, but rather is just as plentiful on private property. School teachers will tell you that people let their dogs run free on the elementary school field, and do not pick up after them. It’s the same at the community college, and around the hospital and cancer center.
Dog owners (and non dog owners) will wearily tell you that they, or their dog, have stepped in dog excrement, again, while out taking a walk.
In 2008, Snohomish County began a campaign to get pet owners to pick up after their dogs — in their own yards. Our huge rainfall means that waste left to “wash away” does just that — the waste and its accompanying bacteria and parasites, end up polluting the groundwater and Possession Sound. Because of high fecal coliform levels, all urban streams and waterways in Snohomish County are unsuitable for swimming or wading.
Unfortunately, these types of campaigns never penetrate the brains of those who need the educating. They don’t have to pick up after their dogs at home, after all, because they take their dogs out in public to defecate. Snohomish County is home to about 173,500 dogs, up from 126,000 in 2008. The dogs produce about 40,000 pounds of waste a day, according to the county. So it only takes a small percentage of irresponsible dog owners to make the problem a problem for everyone.
The campaign focused on backyard waste, because that is where most dogs go, and where waste often is often not picked up at all. However, the dog waste left in public places needs to be addressed as well. New York famously cracked down on sidewalk messes with $250 fines. Small communities like condos are using DNA testing, successfully, to catch the offenders, or rather the dogs’ owners. Cities will have to wait for that technology, for now it remains a cathartic fantasy for responsible dog owners and non-dog owners alike.
Creating a painful fine in Everett for not picking up after your dog might make a difference. Peer pressure is also welcome, but it turns out selfish dog owners who have unmeasurable contempt for their fellow citizens aren’t real receptive to an offer of a plastic bag they can use to pick up after their dog. (Which should then be disposed of in the trash.) Maybe obedience classes are also in order. Yes, for the dog owners.
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