A conversation that has been popping up on local social media pages recently centres around the amount of dog waste that is being left on the ground around Martensville parks and pathways.
According to Ted Schaeffer, City of Martensville Director of Recreation & Community Services, there is a bylaw in the community regarding this, and can be enforced by Martensville Bylaw; however, this can be challenging because someone would have to be caught in the act of not picking up their dog’s waste, which is a difficult task. “We rely on people’s good nature to be responsible pet owners and pick up dog waste,” Schaeffer said.
Pet Waste Stations can be found throughout our local parks and pathways, and Schaeffer noted that if there is an area where people are seeing quite a bit of dog waste and no dog bag station there, let the City of Martensville know so they can look into having one installed in the area.
City employees try to maintain areas with dog waste left on the ground as much as possible; however, they aren’t always able to see it all. “It is a bit of a challenge, because a few people that aren’t as responsible ruin it for others. I am pretty confident that the majority of dog owners are responsible and pick up there dog waste, but there are always those that don’t,” Schaeffer added.
Unfortunately, this is not a new issue and is something that often has to be reminded each year. Schaeffer added, “When I go walk my dog, rarely do I see anyone with a dog that doesn’t pick up waste, so it is hard to catch someone in the act. If I do see someone, I will give them a dog bag, or educate them about it. It is important for us all to respect our shared space.”
So let’s all try to be respectful and pick up after our pets before the spring thaw makes the situation that much worse.
