Maya Mork is not looking forward to the spring. Not that she doesn鈥檛 enjoy the season, but she鈥檚 perturbed about something else.
鈥淚 just got a dog a few months ago,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 started noticing, with all the snow around, it鈥檚 very obvious 鈥� there鈥檚 dog poo everywhere. Basically anywhere I go with my dog.鈥�
She says her family used to go to Little Mountain Park but they don鈥檛 like to go there anymore.
鈥淓specially in the spring when it melts, there are thousands of dog poos in there, it鈥檚 so gross.鈥�
Similar complaints have been heard about other areas in the spring, such as the Salmon Arm wharf.
Mork says the new dog park in Klahani Park is particularly bad right now.
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird 鈥� it鈥檚 like people think that because it鈥檚 a dog park, they don鈥檛 have to pick up after their dog.鈥�
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She鈥檚 also noticed the problem around the South Canoe trails.
鈥淭he land mines are everywhere. I feel sorry for cross-country skiers; if they fall there 鈥� it鈥檚 poo all the way up the roadway.鈥�
Mork walks her children to Hillcrest Elementary regularly.
鈥淓ven in the school yards 鈥� people will leave it in the school yard,鈥� she says.
She would like to see more spots with doggy bags, but even that doesn鈥檛 seem to be a solution.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why people would not pick up after their dog. It鈥檚 not like you鈥檇 let your child run around without a diaper and then just leave it around. It鈥檚 weird.鈥�
At the city, staff say there are no plans to install doggy bag dispensers at the South Canoe trail head.
However, staff are well aware that even where there are dispensers, some people ignore them.
States Rob Niewenhuizen, director of engineering and public works:
鈥淲hat is really unfortunate is that we do have dispensers at the new dog park and near the ball fields at Klahani and for some reason all of these areas are covered in dog feces even one foot away from the actual dispenser.
鈥淎nother problem that we find is that even when the doggie bags are used, some pet owners throw the bags into the forest or leave them on the trails.
鈥淚t is the responsibility of the owners to clean up after their pets.鈥�
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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