More Readers Unhappy About Dog Owners Not Picking Up Waste

Last month, we posted about meighbors who are frustrated with dog owners not picking up after their dogs. Neighbors have complained about walking in the waste, finding waste in their yard and seeing dog owners walk away from their's dogs waste and not picking it up.

Here are comments we received since that post:

Thank you for your post on the problem of dog feces left on properties. I have a regular deposit on my lawn on Surber Drive.  Since I usually get my newspaper at 4:30 am, I was able to witness a runner with his off leash dog pooing in my yard one morning. So early morning runners with off leash dogs are now suspect to me. It is much more difficult to get away with this in daylight.

I have a regular deposit on my lawn on Surber Drive.  Since I usually get my newspaper at 4:30 am, I was able to witness a runner with his off leash dog pooing in my yard one morning. So early morning runners with off leash dogs are now suspect to me.  It is much more difficult to get away with this in daylight.

Most dog walkers always clean up and have their dog under leash control.  But these few are being disrespectful to the whole community.

We live on 47th Avenue NE and NE 39th Street and off leash dogs also leave deposits in the middle of my front yard. I have unwittingly stepped in it and tracked it into my house.  I do not own any pets. How do we get neighbors to be more responsible?

Please pick up the dog poo! Especially at the park. And not just because kids play there.

Many years ago when my kids were young I started down the hill from the community center to the play area and slipped on dog poo. I ended up with a broken ankle, which required a cast for six weeks.

Here is a related list of City Municpal Codes and corresponding violations with fine amouts imposed by the City of Seattle:

Offenses Related to Safety and Sanitation
$109 Allowing accumulation of fecesSMC 9.25.082 (A)
$54 Not removing feces from another’s propertySMC 9.25.082 (B)
$54 Not having equipment to remove fecesSMC 9.25.082 (C)

Here is a similar post published last year.

Neighbor Near Laurelhurst Elementary Urges Dog Owners To Pick Up After Them

We received this email from a reader urging dog owners to pick up after their dogs:

I am tired of dodging dog poo every morning and afternoon on my way to and from Laurelhurst ElementarySchool.The dog poop appears all over the sidewalk several times a week, usually on both sides of  NE 50th Street and 46th Avenue NE.  So I know it’s a regular neighborhood resident and a big dog, judging from the amount of waste.

This intersection is on the way to both Villa Academy and Laurelhurst Elementary School, so there is a lot of foot traffic and it’s often tracked even further by unsuspecting soles.

 I believe it is a dog owner’s legal responsibility to pick up after their dogs. Dog feces are a public health hazard due to the parasites and germs that they can spread.

It’s bad enough that our kids step in it while playing on fields at parks, but when they have to dodge it on the sidewalks on the way to and from school.

I am pretty certain it’s a small percentage of owners who are at fault and in our case, possibly even the same dog, given that the poo is always on the sidewalk on the east side of 47th Avenue NE and NE 50th Street intersection.

In the case of the owner(s) allowing their dogs to leave waste all over the sidewalk, it is  irresponsible and inconsiderate.

Here is a related list of City Municpal Codes and corresponding violations with fine amouts imposed by the City of Seattle:

Offenses Related to Safety and Sanitation
$109 Allowing accumulation of fecesSMC 9.25.082 (A)
$54 Not removing feces from another’s propertySMC 9.25.082 (B)
$54 Not having equipment to remove fecesSMC 9.25.082 (C)

Here is a similar post published last year.