Letters to the Editor

Reader pleads for owners to clean up after their dogs

Dear Editor:

Here we go again. It’s the dog poop issue.

Every day as I stroll through Beacon Hill, there are poop bags or poop everywhere. All over Beacon Hill and in fact throughout the city are doggies, small, large, Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels, lots of Labs, mutts and dogs of high breeding. They are charming. We stop and pet them on Charles Street and elsewhere.

I like animals, especially dogs. What I do not like are their owners. Would somebody please tell me why any responsible dog owner would (most of the time) properly pick up their pet’s poop in a proper plastic bag, only to improperly leave that bag on the sidewalk for someone to step on or worse yet, feel responsible enough for its proper disposition? What pray tell is the psychology behind leaving your dog’s leavings on the sidewalk or even in the street? Dog owners seem to be very good at caring for, grooming, feeding and nurturing their animals, but when it comes to showing other Beacon Hill residents a little courtesy, they fail miserably.

If, as I hope these dog owners care as much about the Hill as they do about their dogs, then “doggonit,” clean up after your pooch and find the nearest waste receptacle. Perhaps the city should consider a modest fine for this error in judgment – say $25 – that is if they catch you. In some states, littering the highway is punishable by as much as $200.

What say you Beacon Hill doggie owners? Are we going to be responsible dog owners or go on messing up the streets and sidewalks?

Christopher Popham Smith

Hawthorne Place

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