“Pet”iquette: The “Doos” and Don’ts of Cleaning Up After Your Best Friends

When Coronado resident David Murphy took to social media to post a picture of the dog poop scattered on the sidewalk outside of his J Avenue home, many people chimed in, echoing his frustration that too many dog owners aren’t picking up after their pets. Murphy, who does not have a dog in his home, doesn’t want people to think that he doesn’t like pets.  He likes seeing and petting his neighbors’ dogs, but a recent situation is what sparked his post.

 

Murphy explains, “My neighbors and I have started taking pictures and have become more observant about who is walking their dogs down our sidewalk because of the large amount of dog poop on our street.  It is becoming ridiculous.  I do not like cleaning dog poop out of my kids’ shoes and their clothes when going from our car to our house in the evening.”  Murphy’s children often play in the neighbors’ backyard, a home where there is no dog, and have come home with poop on their clothes.  “People who do not have dogs should not have to pick up dog poop,” Murphy says.  “When someone decides on adopting or purchasing a dog, he or she is signing up for the dog poop that goes along with it.”

The stinky situation on Murphy’s block has become so bad that cameras have now been installed along the sidewalk so Murphy and his neighbors can “find these lazy people.”  Murphy has a message to the culprits saying, “Please do the right thing and be responsible citizens.”

So what is the right thing?  Some residents may be surprised to learn that pet waste removal isn’t just a matter of having good manners, but is in fact a legal issue designated as a “nuisance” according to Coronado municipal code.  Violations of the code are considered crimes, and are enforceable through criminal prosecution.

Not picking up after your pet isn’t just rude, it’s against the law, and fines can be expensive.  The first violation fine shall not exceed $100, the second violation of the same section of municipal code within the same year shall not exceed $200, and any additional violation of the same section of municipal code within the same year shall not exceed $500.

Coronado resident Michael Stellpflug, a dog owner himself, has noticed that there is frequently dog poop outside of his Orange Avenue home, and, based on the size of the poop, it is evident that it does not belong to his tiny dog Lilly.  Stellpflug and his wife Paula hung two signs at human eye level in hopes that people would clean up after their pets, but the signs haven’t helped.  “I don’t know if it’s tourists with their dogs, and they just aren’t prepared or if it’s residents,” he says.  “Even if you run out of bags, walk back with a bag, and pick it up,” he urges those who aren’t prepared.  He adds, “Once in a while it wouldn’t be a big deal if someone was honestly out of a bag and he’s halfway across town, but every time I do the yard, I have to pick up poop.”  There have been multiple times when the Stellpflugs bring Lilly outside, and discover that there’s already poop on the ground.  Paula worries about the safety of her dog and says, “Lilly likes to fuss over it, and it could be unhealthy for her.”  Stellpflug equates the situation to changing diapers.  “I don’t want to change someone else’s dirty diaper.  I don’t want to pick up someone else’s dog’s poop.”  Despite their frustrations, the Stellpflugs continue to pick up other dogs’ waste out of concerns for their own dog’s health and out of respect for their property.

Six year old Emily Braud, a first grader at Village Elementary, walks to and from school every day.  One morning she stepped in dog poop left on the sidewalk.  Emily recounts that morning saying, “I didn’t see the dog poop, and I accidentally stepped in it.  I had to walk in the grass to try to get it off.”  When asked how it made her feel, she described the stinky situation with just one word as she looked down to the ground, “Sad.”  Emily’s mother, Kelly Braud, had to “get rid of her brand new shoes” because she didn’t want her daughter to be “the smelly kid in the class.”  She made Emily swish her shoe in a puddle for a few minutes to try to clean the shoes off, but the brand new shoes, nevertheless, were ruined.  Someone’s lack of courtesy not only was a nuisance to the Brauds, but a financial annoyance as well because Kelly had to buy new shoes for Emily.

An additional expense related to not cleaning up after pets properly concerns synthetic grass.  Due to water restrictions brought on by California’s drought, many homes in Coronado have replaced natural grass with synthetic grass.  Synthetic grass absorbs odors, and when pets’ waste is not removed, homeowners with synthetic grass are not only left picking up someone else’s pet’s poop, but are also faced with the burden of having to clean and sanitize their grass.  Bio-enzymatic cleaning solutions may be required, causing out-of-pocket expenses for homeowners.

Dog owners should be aware that their concerned neighbors are now on the lookout for those who choose not to follow the basic rules of cleaning up their pets’ waste, but there are plenty of disposal options available right here in town.  While many people use the plastic grocery store bags to dispose of dog poop, a November 2016 referendum on plastic bags in California may be banning those bags.  An internet search of plastic bags offers a disputed timeline of how long those bags take to decompose, anywhere from 20 to 1000 years.  Brian Robitaille of Wag’n Tails on Orange Avenue said the pet store sells a variety of pet waste disposal options, including Earth Rated bags, that are much more environmentally friendly than plastic grocery store bags. He wanted residents to be aware of EDCO‘s pet waste policies too, which are very specific in stating that pet waste is not allowed to go in the green trash cans.

In the grand scheme of life, this poop problem isn’t nearly as bad as what people in other parts of the world face, but it’s frustrating for those who have to deal with the results of people being irresponsible pet owners.  If you have been guilty of not cleaning up after your best friend, 2016 is still young, and perhaps you can make it a resolution to not only be a better neighbor, but be a better friend, especially to your pooch, who you surely don’t want getting sick from a fellow four-legged friend’s poop.  We don’t want our beautiful Crown City going to the dogs!

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Additional Information, including the exact City of Coronado municipal codes regarding dog waste:

32.04.070 Committing nuisance.

1. No person shall allow an animal in his/her custody to defecate or to urinate on any property other than that of the owner or person having control of the animal, except in a dog run as established in this title.
2. It shall be the duty of all persons having control of an animal to immediately remove any feces to a proper receptacle designated for public use, or in a private trash receptacle with the express consent of the owner.
3. A person having care, custody, control or possession of an animal, when such custodial person and animal are on public property within the City, shall have in his or her possession equipment sufficient to remove and thereafter contain defecation from such animal.
4. Disabled persons while relying on a seeing eye, hearing, or service dog shall be exempt from this section when the nature of their disability renders compliance impossible.

1.08.030 Violation as public nuisance.

1. It is unlawful for any person to create, cause, commit or maintain a public nuisance within the City.
2. A violation of any regulatory provision of this code constitutes a public nuisance. (Gov. Code § 38771)

1.08.050 Enforcement through criminal prosecution.

1. Infraction. Any person who violates a provision of this code, where such violation constitutes a crime, shall be guilty of an infraction, unless otherwise expressed, punishable as follows:
2. A fine not exceeding $100.00 for a first violation;
3. A fine not exceeding $200.00 for a second violation of the same section of the Municipal Code within one year;
4. A fine not exceeding $500.00 for each additional violation of the same section of the Municipal Code within one year. (Gov. Code §36900(b))

32.08.030 Defecation removal/custodial equipment.

1. No person owning, having an interest in, harboring or having the care, charge, control or possession of any dog shall allow defecation from such dog to remain on any public property or private property without the express consent of the property owner and shall immediately remove, place in a closable container and deposit such defecation in a trash receptacle designated for public use or in private trash receptacle with the express consent of the owner.
2. A person having care, custody, control or possession of a dog, when such person and dog are on public property within the City, shall have in his or her possession equipment sufficient to remove and thereafter contain defecation from such dog.