After several years of living in Battle Ground, I feel compelled to share a widespread neighborhood issue that requires attention. It involves people with dogs and cats who do not obey our “pooper scooper law.” (Battle Ground Municipal Code; Animal Regulations; Section 6.10.260; Nuisances Part Q.)
It is required for the owner/guardian of an animal to pick up their animal’s feces when the animal is away from the owner’s property. It is the responsible way to behave in a neighborhood. I take my dog for several daily walks in my neighborhood and often end up picking up other animal’s bowel movements (i.e., “poop”). It is not only very unsanitary for large piles of defecate to be laying around everywhere, but it also attracts flies, vermin, and possibly wild animals into our neighborhood.
People who allow their animals to run loose during the day and at night run the risk of their animals getting run over by vehicles and are also responsible for the acts of their animals. Cat owners surely must know they are risking their animal’s life by being run over by a vehicle or attacked by larger prey.
The solution to this problem is quite simple and all animal shelters try to educate animal owners on the four simple rules of responsible animal guardianship and respect toward fellow neighbors. Those four rules are:
- Keep domestic cats inside your home at all times.
- Keep your dog tethered to yourself by using a harness and a sturdy lead whenever you are outside your home.
- Only allow your dog to defecate and urinate in the area between the neighborhood sidewalk and street curb. Never in a neighbor’s front yard.
- Always have disposable bags with you when you take your dog for a walk. Then pick up your dog’s poop and take it with you to dispose of at your own home.
These rules of respectful neighborhood etiquette are common knowledge in most communities throughout the United States. Please do your civic duty to obey this law and help us all maintain a clean, healthy environment which enhances property value.
