LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Dogs in Parks Vote Didn't Go Far Enough

The following is a letter to the editor from resident Gregg Lipanovich --

In case you weren’t there, you should know that our city council made three decisions on dogs this last Tuesday.

One good, one silly and one just plain nuts.

The good? They legalized people walking their dogs in more of our parks. This at least pulls our collective heads somewhat out of the sand to view reality, inasmuch as people have been walking their dogs in pretty much all our parks for at least the 15 years I’ve lived here.

(And our beaches, but that’s another story where our heads are still stuck up our collective you-know-what’s.)

So, fine folks – keep on doing what you’ve always been doing.

The silly? They increased the fine for not picking up your dog’s poop! Wow that’ll stop that in a New York second! Come on, really?

One, it’s almost impossible to be found guilty of not picking up your dog’s doo. Even if you’re seen by animal control walking away after your dog goes, all you have to say is you left your bag in the car and are going for it and voila, no ticket. How brain-dead does one have to be not to figure that out?

But wait, there’s more!

At least they didn’t take the and make it an actual crime!

The Einsteins over at that Commission wanted to make not picking up your dog’s poop a criminal offense. Yeah, I’m not making this up people.

And so I suppose the third time you’re caught, it’s a life sentence. Imagine sitting in the clink with killers, bank robbers and the like when they ask you what you’re in the big house for. "Not picking up dog poop."

That’ll get you the respect and esteem you need. You’ll be somebody’s sounds-like–witch-but-starts-with-a-b for the rest of your life.

Finally, the just plain nuts. These five wizards decided that our town is too cheap to put doggy pooper bags in these new dog friendly parks! I kid you not.

We’re not like Dana Point and most other towns that put pooper bags in parks. We’re too cheap.

Besides, like one of your fine public servants stated, "some people take more than one."

What does she think they’re taking them for? To pack a ham sandwich for lunch? I don’t think so!

Maybe she feels picking up after your dog when it’s not in a park is not a good thing. Well, I do.

But wait, there’s more! Some of us responsible dog people pick up poop whenever we see it, even if ours are not the poopers. In a park or on the trail, wherever we see poop, we know it should not be there and pick it and put in the trash. Just as a good – should be normal – thing to do.

But now, at these additional dog friendly parks, anyone who wants to do the right thing, will have to figure out how many bags to take, not only for their own dogs, but for the dogs of any miscreants whot haven’t picked up after their dogs.

Reasonable? NOT. Smart on the town’s part? NO.

What were our wizzes thinking? Someone actually stated that the non-dog owners wouldn’t want to pay for pooper bags. So, they’d rather walk in poop? Besides our town pays to power wash the tennis court in Verde on a regular basis. I don’t play tennis – why should I be forced to pay for that? For the same reason we should pay for pooper bags. It’s for the good of the residents of our town.

So I urge you to write, email or call city hall and our five and tell them this was a really bad (or the adjective you have in mind) decision that should be reversed.