Doggie doo doo is ruining your parks!
A large amount of dog waste has been left in Arvada dog parks, causing health issues. Authorities are now saying that stricter fines could be in order for residents who don't pick up after their animals.
Jeremiah Schoepflin, animal management officer with the Arvada Police Department, says,
People just aren’t picking up their dog poop anymore. It’s a health concern and we need to nip it in the bud, so we don’t have what’s happening in Evergreen.”
Evergreen has recently been under attack for owners forgetting to pick up after their dogs. Hundreds of pounds of dog poop at the Elk Meadow Dog Park off-leash area has created so many health and safety issues that they are closing part of the park on April 4th. The dog poop is causing higher levels of E.coli and other harmful pathogens near and around that area. Arvada parks authorities fear that they may be next if people continue to not pick up after their dogs.
Arvada's City Manager Mark Deven says that before the issue, people seen not picking up after their dog would receive a stern warning, but now that it has become a larger issue they might have to issue citations. Not picking up after your dog is in fact against the Arvada municipal code and is also a health risk to humans.
Jim Rada environmental health services director for Jeffco Public Health says,
It’s waste and it will contain not just waste material but also microorganisms and some can be pathogenic. Leaving that in the environment could create potential risk of passing those pathogens to human beings and animals and make them sick.”
People don't understand how crucial it is to pick up after your dog. “Accumulated dog feces when it get washed into water ways with storms can pollute our surface waters,” Rada states. I think we can all agree that we don't want polluted water because people are too lazy to pick up after their dogs.
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Fortunately Arvada is not close to closing any parks, but police will fine people who do not pick up after their dogs. Not picking up after your dog affects the safety of the community, so please pick up after your pups!
