Spring Thaw Reveals A Minefield Of Dog Poop Bombs: Block Talk

You might think dog owners would understand that picking up after their pooches isn’t a seasonal thing and that just because snow covers it up, it doesn’t mean the pile Max or Bella left in the neighbor’s yard isn’t there.

Yet here we are.

Even in places with year-round sunshine, some scofflaws look the other way when the dog squats and quickly move along. This isn’t just bad manners; it’s hazardous, according to Scientific American. Left to wash into the soil, dog poop can spread life-threatening parasites not just among dogs and cats but also to wild animals and people of all ages.

The spring thaw is revealing the magnitude of their negligence, turning sidewalks and walking trails in some parts of the country into a minefield of poop bombs.

In those places, a breath of spring air isn’t so fresh.

“The odor of thawing poop signaled springtime,” someone recalled on Reddit of living in New Hampshire town where people didn’t clean up after their dogs in the winter. “It was not nice.”

In Boston, one resident reported “dog poop everywhere” after a recent warmup.

“I think a lot of irresponsible dog owners … just let it go in the snow and think when it melts, it’s magically not going to be there,” the person told local TV station WCVB, saying such disregard shows laziness and a lack of respect for neighbors.

After residents complained that “pooper scooper” laws were being ignored, including by some abusing service dog exemptions to avoid fines, Woburn, Massachusetts, city officials hardened dog poop cleanup rules. The new rules empower police to order a dog owner to immediately clean up the waste or be subject to a $150 civil fine, double the previous maximum. Fines may be levied based on firsthand reports by police or reported evidence.

That’s one solution. Are there others?

And what’s up with these people, anyway?

Do you ever wonder if some dog owners only bag the poop to avoid public shaming, while they secretly can’t wait for winter and snow so they can flout the law?

Is it ever OK to toss the bag of dog poop in someone else’s trash container?

We have so many questions. So we’re putting them to Patch readers for Block Talk, our exclusive neighborhood etiquette column. Just fill out the form below. As always, we don’t collect email addresses.

Correction: The name of the town that recently hardened its ordinances to allow for fines has been corrected. The town is Woburn, Massachusetts.

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with Block Talk as the subject line.

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