Editor:
Yes, I am a dog owner. Yes, I pick up my dog’s feces, pooh, poop ... whatever you want to call it. I feel it is my responsibility.
I love to walk the forest trails around Canmore, but more and more I am disgusted by the amount of dog pooh left there. Even the dog parks are littered with piles of pooh. I have even seen a pile of pooh right beside the cleanup bags provided by the town.
I went to Chester Lake for a ski and there at the trailhead an owner had let their dogs pooh right where people put snowshoes and skis on.
Not only is it disgusting, it is actually an environmental hazard.
1) dog feces do not biodegrade due to the preservatives in dog food (raw food is an exception);
2) dog feces can spread disease to other animals and humans;
3) dog feces leach bacteria into the water table; the U.S. EPA lists it as as the number three source of water pollution.
I also recently (Dec. 12) removed dog feces removed from the road along the Canmore Reservoir – the reservoir that is part of the Canmore water supply.
It is estimated that 40 per cent of owners do not pick up after their dog. If they cannot stomach picking up dog pooh, why do they have a dog? Dog pooh on the ground is the main reason dogs are disliked by non-dog people. That is an owner issue, not a dog issue.
In a town with more dogs than children, one that is supposed to be “environmentally conscious,” what is the problem with people? Why are our trails becoming a disgusting collection of pooh piles? Why do some dog owners feel they are entitled to disregard their responsibility?
There is also the issue of proper disposal of dog pooh.. Leaving a plastic bag of pooh along a trail is not really cleaning up after a dog, just the creation of another problem.
What is frustrating is that responsible owners will lose privileges due to the neglect of irresponsible owners. How long until there are more “No Dog” areas in town? How long until bylaw increases enforcement? How long until dogs are banned from the national and provincial parks?
It may not be because of the off leash issue, but because of the dog pooh left behind. An owner can get away with walking off leash on a trail when no one sees anything, but a pile of dog pooh stays for a long time.
Marg Rees,
Canmore
