During a couple of recent walks, I noticed some interesting lawn signs. I will let them speak for themselves:
I also noticed this sign announcing a city ordinance about pet waste. The sign shows that there is a $25 fine for failure to properly dispose of dog waste:
Towns and municipalities all across the country have pet waste ordinances on the books and have conducted public education campaigns and written about why cleaning up pet waste is so important, as have organizations from the Huffington Post to the CT River Coastal Conservation District and everything in between. Here's a great flyer from the University of Wisconsin Extension. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains it fairly clearly here.
The pet waste ordinance here, probably like many other laws in the city, is difficult to enforce. Gail Petras, a Middletown Animal Control Officer (ACO), explained that the pet waste ordinance cannot be enforced unless an officer actually observes somebody violating the law. Still, it is a law, and it must be followed like any other law, and offenders risk being issued a citation if caught. A citation will land the offender with a $25 fine per the City of Middletown ordinance; however, it is issued on a state infraction form and includes additional charges for the state of CT. The total fine comes out to approximately $75. Petras stated that infractions have been issued on rare occasions, and once even led to an arrest when a violator became belligerent after being cited.
For residents trying to combat a repeated problem, there are ways to address it. The first step is to have a direct conversation with the offending neighbor and ask them to pick up after their pets. Of course, this is not always possible logistically and not always desirable or practical, depending on the circumstances.
The next step would be to send a complaint to ACO through e-mail, mail, or telephone. In a complaint, the sender of the complaint can choose whether or not to identify himself or herself. ACO Petras explains that enforcement action is not possible based on anonymous complaints. As a result of anonymous complaints, the ACO can only speak to the offender and explain the law.
A next step after submitting a complaint is to provide a written statement to the ACO that listsdates, times, and locations of the observed violations, as well as any known names of the violators. The ACO has the authority to issue an infraction based on written statements, which must be given in person and signed while an officer witnesses it.
The Eye would like to hear about reader's experiences with this issue in Middletown. If you have a story about it, please tell us in the comments.
I sometimes visit a town in Ontario that has conveniently located plastic bag dispensers and trash bins specifically designed to accept the plastic bags. Of course, some might quibble about excessive use of plastic, but it is awfully convenient.
ReplyDeleteAlso note that pet waste, along with other animal waste in run-off, is one of the major non-point source pollutants in our rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans. Imagine--all that pee and poop ends up in our waters!
ReplyDeleteThink before you let your pet pollute!