10-12-09
Bailey sez: “Pick up your dog’s poop. Even the mushy ones. Nobody wants to step in it. Not even me. I like to smell it, though.”
(Director sez: Click on Scooper_Troopers if you don’t want to pick up poop!)
Why should I pick up my dog’s poop?
1. It’s the right thing to do. Dog poop left behind makes dog-haters and dog-lovers alike despise inconsiderate dog owners and dogs. If we want Des Moines to be dog-friendly, we have to show that we respect other’s property as well as public property. Going for walks and hikes, letting your dog get in lots of new sniffs and “checking the pee-mail” is part of keeping your dog behaviorally healthy. Leaving things as they were before you and your dog were there elevates others’ opinions of dog owners.
Yes, picking up dog feces is disgusting. It’s even more disgusting to step in. Would you consider leaving a dirty diaper on the sidewalk or at the park where children play? How do you feel when your child steps in dog doo at the park?
There are portable poop scoopers for sale on-line or in pet stores to carry with you if you cannot bear to put your hands on your dog’s stools. For the less squeamish, try this. Recycle two plastic grocery bags. (Use two because sometimes they have tears in them.) You can also purchase plastic bags at the grocery or discount stores. There are also biodegradeable bags for sale. (Gray’s Lake has dispensers for bio bags to use there.) Put the bags inside each other. Put your hand inside the bags. With your hand covered by the bags, hold your breath and pick up the stool. Pull the bags inside out so the stool is at the bottom of the bags. Knot the top of the bags. Deposit in a trash receptacle. There are even clips available to put on your dog’s leash so you don’t have to carry the refuse yourself until you find a trash container.
If your dog defecates in someone’s yard, on the parking, on a sidewalk or anywhere off your property, pick it up immediately. Do not throw bags of dog feces into a storm sewer. This goes into the water supply and clogs the storm sewers. Do not kick the stool into the street. Do not send your dog to the neighbor’s yard to defecate.
2. It’s the law. Did you know picking up your dog’s feces is a law in Des Moines? This is what the City of Des Moines’ Municipal Code says:
Sec. 18-6. Removal of animal waste.
(a) Required. No owner, possessor, or person in charge of a dog, cat, horse or other animal shall fail to clean up or remove immediately any excrement or droppings deposited by such dog, cat, horse or other animal on any public or private property not owned or in control of that owner, possessor or person in charge of such dog, cat, horse or other animal.
If you don’t pick up your dog’s feces, there could be stiff penalties.
Sec. 18-13. Penalty.
Any person who fails to perform an act required by the provisions of this chapter or who commits an act prohibited by the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprisonment as provided by section 1-15 or shall be guilty of a municipal infraction punishable by a civil penalty as provided by section 1-15.
In Section 1-15, if you fail to pick up your dog’s stool, it could cost you up to $500 if your failure is determined to be a misdemeanor and/or you could go to jail for up to 30 days. If your failure to pick up is considered a municipal infraction, you might have to pay $750 for each violation and/or up to $1000 for repeated offenses.
3. Even if it wasn’t a law, it’s what a responsible dog owner does. Be an example.