Image Credit: Mel Rothenburger

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Poop on dog owners who leave full bags behind

Jan 7, 2020 | 4:43 AM

WE TOOK THE DOG FOR A WALK on the Rivers Trail near the airport over the holidays. It’s a great place for that, as evidenced by the large number of other families who were there with their dogs at the same time.

The City provides doggy bags for the dog walkers, as it does at quite a few other sites around town.

For the most part, owners are pretty good about picking up after Fido does his business. What’s astounding is what happens next. All along the sides of the trail were scattered full bags of dog excrement. That’s right — the owners were scooping up their dog’s crap in the bags provided, then leaving the used bags behind.

We could give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were intending to pick the bags up on their way back but it’s obvious by the number of bags laying around that’s not the case.

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The Rivers Trail isn’t the only place this happens. It’s a problem at Kenna Cartwight Park and other dog-friendly areas as well. I don’t get the thinking process by which somebody would take the trouble to pick up dog feces in a biodegradable bag and then leave it there.

Traditionally, we complain about the ugly dog poop that emerges as the snow melts in the spring, but this situation takes it to a new level.

Fortunately, a number of dog owners who use the airport trail regularly make a practice of collecting up abandoned bags and delivering them to the waste bins at the parking areas.

They should receive a hero’s medal for caring enough to take on such an unpleasant task. As for those who create the problem in the first place, poop on you.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He writes five commentaries a week for CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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.