How to get a pet cleanup station in your neighborhood

#Middlebury #PetWasteStations

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: The sidewalks of my small town are often littered with dog waste. There is a town ordinance requiring owners to pick up after their dogs, but it’s clearly not being enforced. I read that installing pet waste stations throughout the community can greatly reduce this problem. How do I convince the town to do this? – Gloria G. in Ohio

DEAR GLORIA: Dog waste stations, which provide small plastic or compostable waste pickup bags and a covered can to dispose of poo, can not only improve the sidewalks in your town, it can improve water quality in local streams and lakes. Runoff from piles of dog poop add nitrogen and phosphorus to nearby water systems, depleting oxygen and endangering aquatic life.

You can help fix this by calling attention to the problem and getting community support for pet pickup stations.

1. Contact your local municipality. Find out how to put forward a pet waste proposal. Sometimes one is on the table already; learn how you can join an ongoing effort to get approval for pet waste stations.
2. Install a pet pickup bag dispenser. If local ordinances allow it, set up a waste bag dispenser at the edge of your yard or driveway.
3. Enlist others in the cause. The best allies in this initiative are other responsible dog owners who you meet walking their dogs. Start a conversation, then a Facebook group, then an in-person meeting. The more stakeholders in the initiative, the faster it can happen.
4. Be prepared for pushback. You’ll have to answer questions like: How will the town pay for these stations? Who will maintain them? Are there other property or HOA issues to consider?

It may take time, but with a little research and some positive conversations with neighbors, your town’s dog poo problem could soon be a thing of the past.

Send your tips, comments or questions to ask@pawscorner.com.

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