Royal Oak Residents Want Poop on Dog Waste at Park

Royal Oak, MI — A Royal Oak resident raised a bit of a stink on a Facebook community forum about why a garbage cans in Lockman Park have been overflowing for the last couple of weeks with dog poop.

Children play in the park, the individual noted, wondering why the “contracted company” responsible for pickup was lax in its responsibilities.

The answer, Mayor Jim Ellison responded, is this: “There is no ‘contracted company’ to pick up dog waste.”

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In fact, he continued, city ordinance requires people who walk their dogs in parks to take any excrement home with them and dispose of it there.

Citing Royal Oak Ordinance No. 93-9, Ellison posted:

"Dogs with owner are welcome at City parks except for those parks with a sign posted "No Dogs Allowed". Dogs are not allowed at Memorial Park at any time.

“Please protect your dog from harm and respect your neighbors rights by leashing your dog. It is unlawful for pets to be on any public property without an adequate leash.

“It is your responsibility to ‘pick up’ after your dog and dispose of waste properly. Always carry a container, such as a plastic bag, pooper scooper or mutt mitt for litter and please dispose of waste properly at your home.

“Our goal is to clean up the parks and make them a pleasant environment for dog owners as well as non-dog owners. Please spread the word about our ‘Clean Up’ and ‘Leash On’ campaign so a change can be made, and our parks can continue as a happy and safe place for all.”

Why, then, the resident posting the question wondered, are the garbage cans labeled “dog waste” and why are dog waste bags supplied on the back of containers?

Ellison said he would check with the Department of Public Service to see if officials have put rules in place that override the city ordinance that has been in place for many years.

The good news, another person posted, is that people are picking up after their dogs: “Poop bin runneth over.”

Image credit: Michael Gil via Flickr / Creative Commons