Please Pick Up Your Dog Mess!

Several years ago I tracked down one offending dog to his domain and spoke to the owner. I waited while they got their coat and walked with them to my neighbors yard to clean up the poop. I made no "bones" about it, just simply stated that (1) VA has a lease law, and (2) they're required to dispose of the poop. I said thank you and went home. No confrontation. It has never happened since.

 

read paragraph TWO of my posts- i see it and don't appreciate it on my walks, not in my yard. i also happen to care about kids playing and falling into poop piles in their yards.

redirect YOUR energy and we'll both be happy caring about things we think are important- fair?

 

T8,
It would be important to me if it was a problem in our neighborhood, but it aint! I just haven't seen evidence of it being a big issue. Also, I am not knocking her for making the neighborhood a cleaner place; I commonly pick up garbage during my walks.

I will restate:
a) Literally 2 dozen dogs are walked on the walk adjacent to my home EVERY DAY. (About 2 dozen more come by less frequently). In my almost 7 years of living here, I have had less than 6 presents left on my property.
b) I walk my dog at least 5 times per week. I have only seen "presents" less than a dozen times.
c) So unless there is RAMPANT dog pooping in the rest of the Broadlands, I don't see it as being a huge issue.

It seems like we are making a mountain out of a molehill (Don't visualize THAT, please!)

 

Points for tenacity. I saw signs down this AM when I drove to work, and there were more up this evening when I got home.

I guess whoever is posting the signs/letters isn't on this thread, and it's just a huge coincidence....

 

I recently started jogging again, and in my mile loop, I have found 2 presents that someone else didn't pick up...now - out of the number of dogs I estimate probably walk the same path daily, it's not a huge percentage, but still gross to have to look out for!

 

And I think you are making a huge issue out of the fact that some people believe there is an issue, by your constant postings on this thread, just because YOU don't believe it's an issue.

Chill and let those who are passionate about poop do their thing!

 

Kids got a new power wheels jeep for xmas, took it for a 15 minutes spin down (and along, they are getting the hang of steering still) the sidewalk along Claiborne. ALL FOUR WHEELS covered in dog crap by the time we got back home. This is RIDICULOUS.

The HOA needs to put up huge signs every 25 feet to CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOGS!

 

Unfortunately, people will ignore these signs just like they do stop and speed limit signs.

Signs will not make inconsiderate, rude, irresponsible, boorish, (bunch of other names) change their behavior. Typically, only confrontation (not necessarily anger ) of a sort will.

 

Well looks like extreme measures may be needed

Take a picture of the disasterly deed in action. Then bag it and leave it at their front door with picture.

Teenage version and (not recommended) set the bag on fire so then they come out and when they stomp it out their real surprise begins. Again not recommended what so ever

Although it has been used as a Halloween prank for years.

Lee j

 

sounds like a new crusader against doodie ditchers has been born! and btw, the HOA has DONE its job in getting the msg- which is an obvious one- out. it's a pet owner problem, not an HOA oversight. let's assign blame to the proper butts.

MR. ROGERS, my friend. sigh. do you drive your dog 5 miles from your house to walk different routes and check the poop status of each one? naaah, i would bet you are like most of us pet owners- you have 4-5 different routes that you travel routinely within 1-3 miles of your home. there are tons of streets in this neighborhood i have NEVER seen, and i walked my dog every day for a YEAR before my ankle surgery. so quit behaving like what YOU see is all ANYBODY sees! why must I make such an obvious point...

NEXT. every heard of the broken window syndrome? you sound educated- I bet you have. take a day and read "The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell"- come by and you can borrow it. Piles of poop and broken windows are similar to me- not in the crime wave's a comin' way- but in the bad behavior spreads way"... read on, say POOP where you see the word WINDOW:

" In their groundbreaking article in The Atlantic called "Broken Windows: The police and neighborhood safety," Kelling and Wilson argued that rampant crime is the inevitable result of disorder. If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and that no one is in charge. One unrepaired window is an invitation to break more windows, and lawlessness spreads outward from buildings to streets to entire communities...

... In such an environment, according to Kelling and Wilson, citizen complaints will often be met with excuses: the police are understaffed, the courts don't punish first-time offenders, etc. Soon, citizens stop calling the police, convinced they can't do anything. Or won't."

NOW. we can agree to disagree, and you can find a thread that has importance to you. i guaranTEE many ppl on this forum are discussing things that really matter in YOUR life Mr. Rogers. but i'd really rather spend time here chatting about solutions rather than discussing the validity of the threads existence.

but thanks for keeping it alive- i guess useless press is better than no press at all... lol

Merry Christmas Mr. Rogers. see you in the world peace, unfair taxation and curing disease threads!

 

Putting a sign up every 25 feet saying to clean up after your dog was an exaggeration. I know well enough what the HOA has done (and can do). Putting it front page in the newsletter (how many times now) may have helped, but who knows.

I may to what a neighbor did a few years back. We had a major problem then with a (or more) dog owners taking their dog over to a common area next to the woods and just letting their dog do their business there every day, week after week, and not bother to clean it up because it was 'out of the way' I'd guess.

Someone got fed up with it and put up small signs that read something like 'Be considerate of your neighbors, pick me up!' I forget how many were placed down, was well over a dozen. They got the hint.

 

Thanks for your response.

Does anyone know how the County enforces this?

Alternatively, can the HOA make it part of their policies so that they can enforce it? Not trying to "dump" this on the HOA... just looking for non-confrontational approaches to getting the problem solved.

By the way, I would like to extend a "Thank You" to all those who do clean up after their pets.

 

If you want the HOA to do something, you need to witness it and be willing to be named as a witness. Otherwise, when the accused says, "Sorry, it wasn't my dog, prove it", we can produce a witness. Or, even better, a picture is better.
I'm not sure what the county does for enforcement. I think they can fine $250/occurrence. The HOA is limited to $50.

 

If you have pictures especially video...Animal Control will take the issue.

We had a nieghbor who (even after speaking with him several times and returned his goldies poop - via zip lock bag) just didnt get it.

So when our cameras got installed we called animal control provided the video and they gave the pet owner the $250 citation (twice)...

 

Glad to see this topic is still alive and strong. A few notes from my side in response to some of the more recent posts:

- Some people here seem to think this is NOT A PROBLEM. So lets stress once again: This is THE LAW. It is punishable by a $250 fine. One of the reasons it is the law is because dog poop pollutes our water system and common areas.

- It may not be a big problem in YOUR area, but it is definately without a doubt a serious issue along the Village Drive corridor. In this area populated by TH's the dog density is far greater. Regardless of the homeowners status (i.e. renting, owning etc.) the problem exists and continues to get worse.

- The HOA is doing all it can: To me that is questionable. Placing a notice in the newsletter is a good start, but for every person here that says 'the offenders won't read signs' then I say: "the offenders won't read the newsletter". A larger form of awareness needs to be implemented.

- Confronting the offenders: Some of you seem to think us 'complainers' see people doing this and just come here to *****. That is not the case. I walk my dog 3 times a day and it is hard enough to come across another dog walker, let alone find one that isn't being responsible.

I was in South Riding the other day visiting a friend and their community had metal signs on the dog stations stating that picking up your dog mess was the law, that leaving it on the ground spreads disease etc. I don't know why we cannot do the same.

And to add flame to the fire: I saw another fresh pile on the sidewalk heading down Village again this morning. It wasn't there yesterday.

 

One more oddball question;

The HOA will go around and take down signs posted around the Neighborhood because that isn't allowed. But we will leave rotting piles of dog waste lying around -- also not allowed by county law?

Not saying I expect the HOA management to pick it up themselves, just stating how it doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Or is it because the paper hurts peoples eyes, because they can see it from their car or house. But the poop is okay because only people walking, kids playing or dogs sniffing can see that.

Funny how things aren't really an issue when you can't 'see' them.

 

I called the Loudoun Country Animal Care office and discussed our problem. They said this is a common issue and suggested the following:

1. They said it is the HOA's responsibility to contact the county so that the county can post the metal signs on our poop stations stating non-compliance is against the law, dog feces spreads disease etc.

2. They suggested we start a petition to gather support if our HOA is not taking the proper steps in helping to correct the problem.

I will be contacting the County Health board also to get their take on the issue.

In the meantime, once again, here is the county law, taken from this site: http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1383 (Animal Laws)

Chapter 612, Section 19.9 (the way I read it a dog owner can leave dog poop in their own yard only)
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[FONT=&quot]Dog waste. For the owner of any dog to fail to remove immediately the dog's feces from any property that is located: In any residential subdivision; or, adjacent to such residential subdivision, except;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] No action shall be brought under this paragraph for failure of a dog owner to remove the dog's feces from the premises of the dog owner, notwithstanding any contrary provision of law. This exception shall not apply to the common areas of a homeowner's association, condominium or apartment complex. (Ord. 88-18. Passed [/FONT][FONT=&quot]12-19-88[/FONT][FONT=&quot].)[/FONT]

 

This ordinance goes on to say in the last paragraph:
612.99 PENALTY.
Whoever violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter relating to animals, for which no specific penalty is provided, is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for each offense. A separate offense shall be deemed committed each day during or on which a violation or noncompliance occurs or continues. (Ord. 95-06. Passed 8-2-95.)

A misdemeanor conviction of an adult becomes a permanent record (under certain circumstances it can be removed; eg, for employment purposes). It will show up in criminal background checks, and may become an issue during adjudication of security clearances.

Cliff believes that signs will not change behavior and are expensive. He also believes that 95% of the people who do not pick up after their dogs do not understand the law (ie, county ordinance). Does it make sense that county-funded signs which educate residents about the penalty and nature of the offense would be a good idea?

I would also like to mention that the County will educate residents you see not clean up dog feces. You can call the dispatcher in the Animal Control department, 703-777-0406, provide a description of the dog and the address where it returns. They will send an Animal Control Officer to educate the resident about the county ordinance and the health dangers of dog waste to people, other dogs and the environment. This is an alternative to confrontation, either directly, or through the HOA. It also may provide a stronger deterrent due to the potentially greater penalties if the problem continues.