Poop Controversy Plagues Two States

April 17, 2008

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- In Alaska and Wyoming, city governments recently considered proposals that would ban dogs from entering, running around and ultimately going number two on baseball and other public sporting fields.

Apparently, people aren’t cleaning up after their companion animals, and it’s causing issues -- concerning public health -- for those that utilize the community fields.

The first city to consider this (optional: stinky piece of) legislation was Anchorage, Alaska, where numerous complaints about kids stepping and falling in feces during sporting events lead to the potential ban.

But “poop abandonment” is already illegal and carries a fine of $150, and when the issue came up in March, it didn’t take long for city officials to turn down the idea -- for now.

“Nobody thinks you ought to be spending property taxes on policing dog poop,” Patty Ginsburg of People & Pets in Public Places, told Anchorage Daily News. “That’s just nuts. And even with the improved version it’s still divisive. It gives one user group exclusive use over municipal assets.”

Canine fecal matter, just like that of humans and other animals, can be hazardous if enough seeps into underground water sources. But rather than limit where the dogs can go, Anchorage assembly members decided to try increased awareness, instead.

After all, poop happens regardless of time and place.

For the next year, a “Poop Patrol” consisting of volunteers will make their rounds at area parks of interest, wearing “Prevent-the-Poop” vests. According to Anchorage Daily News, they may be accompanied by costumed canines, as well.

The Anchorage assembly will reconvene in a year to determine if the efforts were successful enough to scoop the issue off their plates.

The second town to expel this idea is Cheyenne City, Wyo., where city council members turned down their version of this proposal all together.

As in Anchorage, Cheyenne considers fecal wantonness a crime -- meaning a misdemeanor for offending parties.

An op-ed published in Wyoming Tribune-Eagle summed it up in a piece entitled “Our View: City should bag dog ban.”

“Instead of making Fido stay home when his owner goes to watch a game, it makes more sense to educate and persuade irresponsible dog owners that it's their responsibility to pick up after their pets.”

“Education is key here. The city needs to drive the point home that if residents are going to take their pets to sporting venues, they need to make sure the dog is on a leash -- that already is the law, by the way -- and they need to pick up after Fido if he does his business.”

Wyomingites can rest easy, knowing that their dogs can poop free and clear in Cheyenne’s parks. However, should a pile not be picked up, a misdemeanor charge swaits on the other side of the playing field fence.

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Debra McKinney, Anchorage Daily News, and Wyoming Tribune-Eagle contributed to this article.