More on Dog Droppings

✉ by Joe Steiner, SMVE HOA Safety and Security Chair

Phone:

My wife and I are former dog owners. Over the course of a long marriage, we have had many dogs. More than once, our dog helped to extricate us from a bad situation. The dogs were incredibly smart. However, after years of obedience training, I was never able to train any of these beloved creatures to pick up their droppings and put them in a bag.

Our SMVE residents have not been successful either. Some of our residents are relying on their neighbors to pick up after their dogs, or they just leave the droppings where they fall, including in the common area. Why don’t they pick up after their dogs? Disposable bags are available for this purpose and we do see most folks toting them as they walk their dog.

What can we do to remedy this problem? If you see someone failing to pick up after their pet, you can remind them that they need to do that. Why? They are not helping to better neighborly relations when they don’t. If they simply do not want to be bothered, the next two paragraphs may be of interest and a call to 911 might be in order to correct their behavior.

For those irresponsible dog owners there are legal issues that pertain to their behavior. Title 6 of Pima County’s Code of Ordinances states (6.04.030E): “
It shall be unlawful for the owner or person having custody of any dog or canine-wild animal hybrid to fail immediately to remove and dispose of in a sanitary manner any solid waste deposited by such dog or canine-wild animal hybrid on public property or deposited on private property without the consent of the person in control of the property.”

For those who decide to continue not doing the right thing, there may be financial consequences. In 6.04.030F of the Code, there is a provision for penalties: “A person convicted of the offense prohibited by subsection (E) of this section is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, thirty days in jail, one year probation, or any combination thereof. No judge may grant probation in lieu of, or otherwise suspend, the imposition of the minimum fine prescribed herein.”

Please pick up the poop!!!!!