a profusion of poop

Around here, most people have a dog or three.  I don’t, not because I don’t like dogs, but because the care and space a dog needs has never really fit in with the other circumstances of my life. It could work now, but there is the matter of the preexisting feline, who “does not believe in dogs”.

Back to dogs, and more specifically, to what comes out of their back ends–the poop. Its an issue around here, and in many places. Davidson Mesa is one of my local open spaces, where I and a good many of my neighbors spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. A small section is fenced off as a dog park, and its a busy place, full of happy dogs and their people, running, wrestling, visiting, and, of course, pooping. I enjoy this activity vicariously as I start out on a run or bike ride.

Turns out the dog park is, in the words of a city official, “being loved to death”. Its so heavily used that erosion is a problem, and the uncollected poop (the vast majority is collected by responsible owners/guardians, but some will inevitably be missed) alters the soil ecology, supporting the growth of invasive plant species. More complicated than I ever knew. The area was briefly closed, causing great uproar this fall, in order for some maintenance to occur, and ways to keep this important community space available and not destroyed are being explored.

Dogs, only on leash, are allowed on the rest of the mesa as well. This area has a series of signs that are both informational and humorous, answering some of the whys around the necessity of picking up one’s pooches poop. I post them here for your edification and entertainment:

And then there’s this photo which appeared on a friends facebook feed: I can’t find the source, but its worth viewing:

That’s today’s scoop, thanks for reading!

Profuse“>Profuse