Southmoor Gardens Neighborhood Association

A Matter of Concern

Sep 18, 2005

One of our neighbors communicated with us about something she finds troubling, namely, left-behind dog waste. She is a dog owner herself, and, it seems, a conscientious one. She says she lets her dogs out for a romp in their own back yard to do their business before venturing out, as well as going equipped with some bags, just in case. Her experience, however, has been that not everyone is so considerate, that she frequently encounters canine feces littering beautiful lawns. Sometimes, as she says, their walks are stop-and-go as 'the girls' check out each new pile as if it contained treasure. Worse, sometimes, if they are taking a moonlight walk, she is likely to step in the pile that someone thoughtlessly left on the sidewalk. (And that, of course, is not just a concern for dog-walkers!) As she says, it is really not that difficult and can be quite routine - leashes, ordinary plastic bags from the grocery store, house key, and one is set to go!

Overland Park does have an ordinance regarding animal defecation. It is ordinance 6.08.080. It states that pet owners shall not be in violation of the ordinance if the pet owner cleans up after a pet. For more information, go to the city's Web site at www.opkansas.org.