Do you like looking at, smelling, or stepping in dog poop? Well, I don’t know anyone who does, so why aren’t you doing your part and cleaning up after your dogs? Picking it up isn’t enjoyable for anyone, but if you are a dog owner it is a part of owning a dog. If you do not like picking up after them then maybe you should just go to a dog park and enjoy other people’s dogs? Or volunteer at a pet shelter?

Picking up after your pet is important, it keeps the neighborhood clean and healthy, keeps the waste from washing down into the sewers and into the ocean and onto our beaches. Just picking up poop isn’t all that needs to be done, but carrying the bag of waste home and throwing it away in your trash can at home is also necessary. Throwing the bag down on the ground doesn’t make much sense if you think about it. It then sits there, splits open, is unsightly as litter now as well as feces, and you’re back to where we started from.

According to Chapter 5 of Portland city Code, there is a $250 fine if you are caught letting your dog dump without cleaning it up. It is against the law. Do you want to take that chance?

I ask of all dog owners to pick up the poop, for their safety as well as ours, for our environment and your bank account.

Jenifer Wikstrom
Portland