Poop Ordinance....I Have Been Warned

I can't see how you can be ticketed without proof of you not scooping.  If an officer sees you fail to scoop, then I can see where the ticket would hold up.  Otherwise, I can't see how a ticket can be issued.

People often don't know WHAT they see, and it's typically someone who doesn't have a dog.

True story:  a friend of mine lives in the Wash. DC area in a townhome in a larger complex.  She was, for quite a while, on the Board of Directors of the association until she became pregnant and just couldn't handle the extra time/stress.

Well, the neighborhood gossip was rife because she "quit" and apparently a couple of ladies (retirees) started watching Caron walk her dogs.  She has two female "boonie dogs" (which is a made-up name for wild dogs on Guam and she and her husband brought them back when he left the service several years ago).

One night she no sooner got in from walking the girls and the phone rang.  "I ***SAW*** YOU -- ********YOU******* DID NOT SCOOP!!!!"

Caron was floored.  They hadn't been out long and NEITHER girl had pooped.  It was pretty much a quick pee for both of them and Caron initially thot "gee how could I have missed THAT?"

So she asked the woman to MEET her outside and literally show her, and Caron went out armed with plastic bags eager to rectify whatever it was.

The woman POINTED in high dudgeon "THERE!!!!" and she pointed to ... grass.  "I DON"T KNOW WHERE IT WENT BUT THERE IS WHERE IT .... HAPPENED!!!"

Caron said "Ma'am -- yes, we were here -- but both of my girls peed here -- but that's all."

The woman got really nasty and said "NO ... they did NOT lift their leg -- they POOPED ... I SAW IT!!!"

"light dawned" and Caron looked at the woman and said:

"With all due respect ma'am I have to explain something to you.  Both of my dogs are FEMALE.  Female dogs do *not* lift their leg.  They squat to urinate.  And yes, they both squatted here .. and .... here.  But that's all".

The woman simply saw movement in grass.  That's all.  And she ASSUMED Caron didn't "scoop".

It's a true story.  Does Nemo always lift his leg?  Does he ever just squat?  My cocker squats frequently -- and when he does lift his leg it almost resembles a squat more than a lift.

some people just don't know what they're looking for but people dearly LOVE to "catch someone" doing something so they can "report" them. 

My best guess is that whoever is doing the reporting probably calls the police every day with a laundry list of all those who have transgressed and is probably extremely verbal about demanding satisfaction.

The police have this "law" on the books that is unenforceable -- and they probably have a bunch of retirees with nothing better to do than apy out their windows. 

If you have an Association, going to a few meetings may be a place to start.  I can almost promise you that the "squeaky wheels" are there.

Callie, I am all for your freind, but I amhere to tell you: some bitches DO lif ttheir legs to pee!  Gypsy is one of them.  If she's JUST peeing, she squats.  If she's MARKING, she lifts her leg!

It sounds to me like these people have waaay too much time on their hands.  I agree--you should always scoop.  However, the world will not end if you miss one because you forgot a bag or you run out of bags (it's happened to me before). Weird people...

BEVOLASVEGAS

I can't see how you can be ticketed without proof of you not scooping.  If an officer sees you fail to scoop, then I can see where the ticket would hold up.  Otherwise, I can't see how a ticket can be issued.

I think Amanda is absolutely right.  I'm pretty sure you can't be issued a ticket if the officer didn't actually see the offense.  That would be like getting a traffic ticket because someone said they saw you speeding or running a stop sign.

Joyce

Weirdly enough, I know a lady who was accused of not cleaning up after her female dog just like Callie describes!

I think, thanks to the good-for-nuthin people who never or rarely clean up after their dogs, that the poop wars are heating up.  The president of our HOA recently encouraged people to start taking pictures of people not picking up poop.  I asked her how in the world do you take a picture of someone NOT doing something?  Think of the possibility of abuse -- some dog hater, or someone who has a gripe against a neighbor, takes a picture of a dog pooping but oh-so-conveniently just doesn't snap the picture of the owner cleaning up?  I can so easily imagine a vengeful/spiteful person doing just that.

I think all any of us can do is make sure we're good dog owners and clean up after them.  Every single time, no exceptions.  I carry one of those bags-on-board thingies and make sure it's always got a good supply.  And maybe keep a separate trash can (diaper pail, maybe?) for the poop bags so if anyone comes asking, you can show them a trash can full of evidence.

lorib

some bitches DO lif ttheir legs to pee! 

Sure they do, but when you're dealing with someone THIS ignorant of all things "dog" that would hardly have helped.  It's simply one of the myriad "myths" that can have such an incredibly negative impact when one is dealing with badly written laws and code that is then often "upheld" by people with no clue whatsoever.

I have one of those bags on board things too and I love it.  I've got a weird little thing called a doody dangler that hangs on the leash and if I have to do a pick up somewhere other than the park where there are trash cans, I can tie the bag and hang it on there and take it home with me.  My neighborhood is pretty cool as far as dogs go.  Everyone takes care of their dogs and you don't really see a dogs running loose.  If a dog is out in front w/owner and meanders over to another yard to poop, the owner is pretty quick to go scoop it up.

Joyce

 My neighborhood is that way too. Sometimes, we get goofy letters telling us that we were sighted not picking up our after the dogs, and if we don't do it, we'll get fined. Obviously, someone has to be complaining, but the only time I don't pick up is if I ran out of bags. We now have stations throughout the neighborhood, and they are supposed to have bags, but the teenagers like to play with the bags. I think our dogs are out more often than most of the others in the neighborhood, so people see them, and can say what house they belong to.

I use these special poop bags and the ones I have now are hot pink.  I try to carry them so they are visible, people can see I walk with bags.  Then if the dog poops you can see I am picking it up with the hot pink baggy.

Thanks for the replies & suggestions.  Here are some additional comments and answers that probably won't help but will make me feel better.  BRW, thanks for letting me vent. 

I live in a small town...there is no homeowner's association - just the town council (and I won't touch that subject) and the police department.

Nemo does lift his leg to pee & mark.  Sometimes I think he's going to fall on his nose he tries to lift so high.  His poopie dance is long and drawn out....gotta find just the right spot, and heaven forbid it gets interrupted then it starts all over again.  I have plenty of time to get ready to scoop. 

I started scooping back in the early 80's before I knew that you could buy poop bags and such so I came up with my own version which I'm sure is not unique....the paper towels and ziplock sandwich bag method. No reasonably clean paper towel or sandwich bag goes in the trash if I can help it. The towels are folded and inserted into the bag and each time I leave the house one goes into a pocket.  In the event I forget or didn't anticipate his needs correctly, I have saddle bags for the retractable lead and have extra bags along with a roll of the store bout bags in case I'm really not paying attention, hand sanitizer, a flashlight, a house key, and a whistle.  I haven't seen it for a while but there should also be one of those cheap rain hats in case I get caught in the rain. 

I did start the poop database and I've become way too familiar with the camera and camcorder features on my cill phone.  Should I send the database and pictures to the police department once a week or so?  I also went to the library and borrowed a copy of the code of the town.  Unfortunately most of the parts I need aren't in the suppliment version so I'll have to go to the town managers office and read the original code "during normal business hours".  I'm also thinking of writing a "letter to the editor" of our local newspaper suggesting that us dog walkers might want to start an online poop jounral or something. 

As for the ordinance, ."appropriate trash receptacle" probably doesn't mean the police chief's desk does it? 

Thanks again - and yes, I do feel a little better. 

I'll probably tick off a bunch of people with what I have to say, but here goes. We make our dogs poop and/or pee before we take them for a walk. We carry a bag just in case, but I think I've only used it 1 or 2 times. We don't meander up on people's yards. Walking around our neighborhood is not for the purpose of getting our dogs to do their business and it infuriates me that others feel differently. I don't care if you pick it up or not, my kitchen window faces our lawn and I don't appreciate seeing people stop to let their dog poop or pee, even if they pick the poop up, while I'm making breakfast. When did this even become okay? This isn't accidental. People are making the choice to walk up on our lawn, sniff around, poop, scuff the feet and maybe clean it up. I grew up in a neighborhood with dogs and I don't ever remember people doing that. You can't clean up the pee and it kills the grass and it attracts the next dog(s) to stop at the same spot to do the same thing. We have a gorgeous corner lot with grass that looks like a park. I get why people want their dogs to do their business there but I don't get why they think it's okay. Okay - done with my rant!

WOW! Thats makes me laugh! You can not be ticketed with no proof, or if the cop him/herself saw you neglet to "scoop" then I could see where a ticket might be in order.

Max does both, lifts his leg and squats. I got the poop bags that hang on his leash, that way I always have them with me and in reach.
I think taking a bunch of pictures might be a little much, and deffinatly would be an inconvience to you. If you must to go any extence in that area then you might try pretending to scoop when they pee, grab the bag, bend touch the ground with the bag, stand up and walk. atleast give the impression you are scooping.

good luck, and Happy Trails~!

 I walk with about a dozen bags.  I have handed them out to people that have "forgotten" or "ran out".  I figure if I ran out or forgot, I'd be so relieved that someone was around to give me one if I needed it.  And if they are lying, well...then they deserve the embarrassment.  M

My sister always snickers when she sees someone scooping.  It bugs me.  I would be much much more embarrassed to walk away without scooping.   Suppose that's one of the principal differences between us.

When Crusher was a youngin, he had digestive issues to say the least.  He would literally poop 5 or 6 times on a walk, and they were the scoop and then use a paper towel to wipe up the grass kind of poops.  Yuck!  But I did it.  I would have been mortified leaving it behind.  The last couple were always nothing poops.  Phantom poops I guess.  He would squat and sqeeze but if anything came out it would be a tiny dribble and then nothing.  Most of the time it was just nothing at all.  I got used to the routine so I would watch and when he was done we would continue on our way.  Only once did someone try to call me on it.  He came screaming out of his house and I very calmly explained to him what happened.  Took him back and showed him the nothingness in the grass.  Combed it with my foot before he was satisfied.  In fact I even showed him the bundle of bags I had in my pocket.  He was still scowling when I left.  I felt bad kind of, but what can you do.

FWIW, you're lucky you get a poopy dance.  Crusher's is more like,"Running  Running   Running...sniffing...Run over here, run over there, tackle Onyx, run a bit more, check back in with mom, bit Onyx' head on the flyby, oops pooping, done, run run run..."  We get no notice.  Its especially fun on the bike.

sterlingfan40

Nemo does lift his leg to pee & mark.  Sometimes I think he's going to fall on his nose he tries to lift so high.  His poopie dance is long and drawn out....gotta find just the right spot, and heaven forbid it gets interrupted then it starts all over again.  I have plenty of time to get ready to scoop.