Why is there so much dog poop on our beautiful walking trails in St. Albert?
I was out for a walk on a beautiful winter morning last week after walking the kids to school. The kids were spotting dog poop all the way to school on the walking trail, which has become a normal occurrence. “Watch out for the dog poop mom!” says my five-year-old son. Why are dog owners not picking up after their dogs?
We are a very active family and use the trails in St. Albert almost every day throughout the year; walking to school, running, sledding, walking to the parks and playgrounds, riding bikes ... the list goes on. Instead of going out and enjoying the fresh air on the St. Albert trails, we have to watch where we are playing in the snow, because dog owners have neglected to pick up after their dogs throughout the winter. We have to watch our step so that we don’t carry it home or into schools or other buildings on our footwear. Yuck! So why, again, aren’t owners picking up after their dogs?
There is a bylaw in the City of St. Albert, a summary of which states; “All poop must be picked up and put in a garbage can. Dog walkers must always be able to pick up after their dogs. You are required to carry extra bags and show them if asked by an officer.” I have never seen a bylaw officer on the trails in Erin Ridge, nor anywhere else on the trails on St. Albert. How is this enforced?
I would like to ask the dog owners who don’t pick up after their dogs a few questions. Do you think about the fact that once the snow melts, your dog's poop will still be there? If you walk your dog regularly on the same trails, does it not bother you to walk by and see the same dog poop every day? Why aren’t you picking up after your dog?
To file a complaint, I started by calling the City of St. Albert Public Works Department to see if there was a possibility for someone to come out and clean up the mess on the trails. They told me to call Municipal Enforcement. Municipal Enforcement agreed that it is terrible that dog owners don’t pick up after their dogs and confirmed that there is a bylaw in place. Then I was transferred to someone else to make a formal complaint and it turns out I was transferred to dog licensing who told me I "needed to call Municipal Enforcement to file a formal complaint as they would be the ones to come out and take care of any issues”. I was very frustrated and felt like I was given the run-around.
Now it has snowed again covering up all of the previous dog waste. We may forget about it for a while until the snow melts revealing the unpleasantries beneath.
Dog owners, please be mindful of others and the law by cleaning up after your dogs. Responsible dog owners and other trail users please speak up to those who don’t pick up after their dogs. We have some beautiful trails in St. Albert. Let’s keep them looking beautiful!
Nicole Hutchinson, St. Albert
