By Daniela Ginta

The Way I See It

GINTA: The problem that just doesn’t go away

Apr 1, 2019 | 11:27 AM

A FEW DAYS A WEEK Peterson Creek Park is infused with tiny visitors. In winter they slide down slopes, waddling like adorable penguins bundled up in bright colours and cute hats. On rainy days they jump in puddles with the same level of energy. The outdoor preschool is in session.

In a traditional school, teachers prepare the class in whatever way necessary before the students arrive. For an outdoor school, you’d think the preparations are already done. After all, nature stands at the ready. True, but people mess it up at times. Literally.

For this preschool crowd, the usual routine has the teachers show up earlier so they can pick up the dog poop, which is found all around the main entrance and along the main trails. They pick it up so the kids don’t step in it. It’s the same routine every day; a messy Sisyphean task if you will.

Picking up the poop is one of the least pleasant aspects of owning a dog. Then again, it’s an inevitable part of life no matter the species. In case of pets, one can argue that they give back in countless ways so there’s the motivation.

As a daily visitor in the park, I got to know what the season brings poop-wise. New snow covers everything. It’s pure wonderland and if you happen on the freshly powdered trails in early morning there’s no poopy affair. As the day progresses, they appear by the side of the trail, in the middle of it, or bagged up here and there.

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New layers of snow will keep on hiding the yester poop piles until spring comes along. Sunny days brings smiles one and the thaw reveals new and old poop, bags included, including a new species that now hangs on branches(!).

Higher up on the trails the frequency of poop piles decreases. The most afflicted areas are the ones closer to the entrance. That’s where people with little kids mostly go, given the naturally lower endurance levels of the latter. Trouble is, unless you watch their every step, there’s a high risk they’ll end up stepping in dog poop. It’s not their fault; the course is rigged by irresponsible dog owners who believe the park is nothing but a major dog waste depository.

I am well-versed in spotting trouble, but every now and then the inevitable happens. Running or hiking shoes soles have many ridges so poop extraction is particularly fun, more so if you do not notice right away.

That’s what the teachers at the outdoor preschool and so many other parents and park visitors in general are trying to avoid. And good luck to them and all of us.

What can be done? There is a sign at the entrance asking dog owners to pick up their beloved pooches’ waste. The waste bag dispenser is bulging at the seams. And yet. From gigantic to small, the piles appear daily no matter the message on signs. Would more signs do it? Maybe. How about more garbage bins? Perhaps. Some people have pointed to the unpleasantness of carrying bags of poop around until they reach the next bin. Until the city gets to it though, it’s up to each of us to do our part even when unpleasant.

Last week I spotted one of the teachers with a sign she made herself asking dog owners to pick up after their dogs. I also spotted the two white bags filled to the brim with dog waste – all that early morning’s ‘harvest’. “I don’t even own a dog,” she said in frustration, “but I get to pick up poop every day.”

Others do that too, on occasion, exasperated by the never-ending influx of canine fecal matter. Sadly, it has become a yearly tradition for me to write about this issue without much positive consequence.

It’s as simple as this: if you own a dog and want to enjoy a walk in the park, you must be responsible and pick up the waste.

Nature parks are a treasure to behold, and for city people, they are a unique connection to the wild spaces usually found outside city limits. Everyone has the right to enjoy the beauty of a green space without getting visually, olfactorily or physically impacted by other people’s messes, whether produced by dogs or otherwise.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.