The City and Borough of Juneau and the Gastineau Humane Society announced a zero-tolerance policy for dog violations today in municipal parks.
In a press release, the CBJ stated "the heightened enforcement is in response to ongoing problems with dog waste and other dog related problems in area parks."
The new policy goes into effect immediately.
Animal Control officers will no longer give warnings when they witness dog owners leaving canine waste behind. Instead, they will issue citations up to $100 and/or mandatory court appearances for anyone who violates the new policy. This applies to all pets and animals that are on or off a leash, as well as those under competent voice control, the release stated.
The Gastineau Humane Society enforces Juneau’s animal control regulations under a contract with CBJ.
Citizens can report violators to Animal Control at 789-6997.
Comments (42)
Add commentHeightened enforcement?
I have seen animal control officers in the parks maybe a half a dozen times in 9 years. I have never seen them leave their vehicle. Why not authorize park workers to issue tickets? At least they will actually be in the parks much more often than the animal control officers.
Loophole
"This applies to all pets and animals that are not on a leash or under competent voice control, the release stated."
Therefore, make sure your dog is on a leash, THEN blithely ignore the pile he leaves 4 feet away from you. Just move along...
How about a third penalty option? Offenders have the option of collecting 50 lbs of crap from the park they're cited in. With all the snow melting, it'll be easy to locate.
This is wrong, but we brought this on ourselves
As a pet owner who cleans up after my pet I never will understand why some pet owners refuse to clean up after their pet. It just does not make sense. These types of laws are wrong and bureaucratic, but we pet owners did it to ourselves. THANKS ALOT FOLKS!!!! - ugh!
to Animal Control
Please stake out the Mendenhall Campground cross country ski track. The land mines get pretty bad there.
Glad for Discovery Preschool Kids
I'm so saddened when my 3 year old talks about how gross the poop at Capital Park is. I am happy CBJ has finally taken our complaints to heart.
I suppose it's ok to bag it
I suppose it's ok to bag it and just leave the bag on the trail though. Yea, we know you'll get it on the way back......
Define "competent voice control" I'm certain my dog is always under voice control, he's just a little slow to react....
What areas
are considered "municipal parks?" Brotherhood bridge trail? Airport dike trail? Auke Lake trail? Or just actual parks. I say tickets for poo on trails, no tickets for poo off trail.
Clarification
Hi readers,
I just got a note from George Schaaf, at CBJ — this policy applies to all pets — regardless of whether or not they are leashed or under voice control.
In short, if your pet poops on the ground — no matter the circumstances — you could be fined for not picking up the "litter." The story has been corrected.
Thanks!
Abby
List of Parks
A list of "municipal parks" would be very helpful if anyone has it.
sigh...
list of parks
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=juneau+municpal+parks
Great News! Now start publishing citations in the JE.
Good job CBJ and GHS. Now, start publishing those citations in the Juneau Empire that Animal Control issues. Citizens have a right to know the scoflaws in town and more importantly, the Animal Control folks work hard - by publishing the citations it lets folks know the Animal Control Officers are out there doing their job and serves as a cautionary object lesson for those scumbags that don't clean up after Fluffy.
Good job by CBJ and Grateful
Good job by CBJ and Grateful Dogs. Next on the list should be fireworks. Fireworks are a serious & growing public health issue; let’s do something before someone gets killed by one. The use of these things has gotten out of control.
stash
your pooch, it's the poop police!! Wonder if there could be a poop hotline where you could nark on folks that do not pick up their poop? Could you get a reward? Sounds like a sleeper of a job. People really will get paid for enforcing the poop code. Where can a person apply for the job? Seriously, poop is gross and maybe folks will just keep their poop at home in their own yards.
don't worry, fmast
No taxes required. You'll be paying for it with your fines.
Juneau - dog poop capitol
Living on Basin Rd. one gets a real experience of the (dog poop) Capitol. It appears not only on the street, in the garden, but also on the porch. Must be those invisible dogs because it seems that noone wants to claim it. The really perfect ones are the people who allow their dogs to have free rein on Basin Rd. then leash them at the end of the street. Hey folks, Basin is a street with houses just like your own. Would you like to come home to a pile of HUGE dog poop in front of your door? or on your stairs? Can't be your dog can it? because your dog is running so far ahead of or behind you that you can't see where he is pooping so it must be off the street. However, off the street is in someone's yard or on their porch up here. If you wouldn't like it on your street or on your porch, don't leave it on ours... or the black bag either.
hazardous materials
Certainly agree with the above firework comment having spent a horrific New Years at home dealing with the blasting for hours on end something has to be done about them. Go to a park and set them off please. Think about it dog poop, fireworks, cigarettes are all hazardous to others and to our community. Hazardous materials should not be imposed on others.
Poop is Yucky!
Poop is yucky! It's our responsibility as dog owners to pick up our dogs' poop so that the next poor soul doesn't have to scrap it off their shoes! Or some little kid doesn't have to fall in it! The parks and trails are for everyone to enjoy! Everyone needs to do their part!
I have a fenced yard, my dogs
I have a fenced yard, my dogs ONLY poop in our yard and after they poop we take them for a walk. However, there are cats in our neighborhood that are very annoying; they jump on our car, climb on our neighbor's tree and kill little birds and annoy the heck out of my dogs, oh and when they are in heat, holy cow what a lot of noise!!!! When we asked our neighbor to keep their cat away from our fence, she said that cats can go wherever they want and there is no leash law for them. A few years ago, one of her cats was found floating in a ditch near our street and my husband jumped into the water and pulled it out. That woman didn't shed a tear, just took the cat and put it in a plastic bag to throw it away!!! I'm not a "cat person" but I cried for that poor thing. I'd like to see some laws that deal with irresponsible cat owners!
Oh and as for the fire works, YES PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM!! The people who shoot off those fireworks aren't celebrating anything except the fact that they can be obnoxious and loud and the law can't or won't touch them. Shooting off fireworks should be illegal in residential areas!
poo -poo!
People with dogs, pick it up. My neighbors here in the valley need to read this too! As a responsible dog owner of three, we get out and about and have handy Wal-Mart or Safeway grocery bag(s) in our pocket(s) to scoop the poop!
I enjoy the parks just as anyone else and am ready to pick up the warm "stuff" even though I don't want to. I do admit to walking and leaving the bag, only to return to drop it off on the way to the bear can. (Sorry) I have (lately) also had an extra bag or two and scarfed up a load that was not of our clan of dogs (wrong size and different color). I really wouldn't mind if inforcing this rule city wide was done.
I'll take that job as a Pooper Scooper Enforcer. Sign me up!
Any low bidder takers for the poop patrol if GHS
is overwhelmed with the zero tolerance policy at the parks and then JPD Metro doesn't want to cite while in town? There is a poop patrol problem downtown too. :\
Talk is cheep...
Finally someone thinks we have a problem with dog s_ _ _ besides myself. This is also the approach that needs to be taken, no warnings, automatic fines. I'll guarantee that once people need to come up with a $100 to pay a dog poop fine they will not do it again. There are many conscientious dog owners in the JNU area that do take the effort to clean up after their dogs, you are to be commended. Those of you who make the decision to pick it up or leave it behind based upon the presence of others in the area make me sick. One of the worst places in the valley is out at the visitor center, ever been there in the Spring when the snow melts? Do your civic duty the next time you see someone shirking their clean up responsibility, flat out tell them to clean up that steaming pile. If you have accurate information that can be passed to animal control, by all means do it. I think we are on the right track.
Ok then - CBJ needs to start
Ok then - CBJ needs to start enforcing the Distrubing The Peace law for fireworks.
The same people that gripe about dog crap are the same people that blast off fireworks without a care in the world about HOW their use of explosvies impact others.
When the anti dog crowd starts showing some concern for me and my dog and end their private use of fireworks near my house - thats the time I will start picking up my dogs crap. Until then I will let it rip just like you do.
Consideration for others goes both ways folks! You don't care about me I don't give a shitt about you.
Tspfr, So you think that if a
Tspfr,
So you think that if a person doesn’t like dog poop then they must automatically shoot off fireworks? HHmm interesting.
So, do you like seeing dog poop everywhere?
tspsfer
You are wrong. I don't like dog crap on the trails and I don't shoot off fireworks. It's not the fault of the dog, it's lousy neighbors like you that are too lazy to pick up after your dog that are the problem. As long as there are pet owners like you around Juneau, the only vialbe solution will be to ban dogs from all Juneau trails.
Unemployment
They should modify the doggie task force to include oversight of jobs. Put some people to work and pay them to pick up poo in the heavy use areas.
I've yet to see GHS do truly good acts
I've seen their staff drive around in GHS vehicles on personal errands. Once I encountered GHS staff that was actually looking for a lost dog. Once in the 10+ years I've been in Juneau and I take my dog out several times a day for long walks. This will also pass.
I am 100% in favor of fining people who don't pick up after their pets and that includes those who use their neighbor's homes as pet toilets while claiming their dog or cat is trained not to go on other people's property. I called GHS several times about this and they did nothing. They told me I needed to get a photo with the pet owner in the shot while the dog was doing his business before they could do anything. My word wasn't good enough for GHS...even though it would be good enough to convict a burglar or violent criminal.
It isn't the staff's fault. the leadership is to blame. There's also got to be a heck of lot of euthanasia at GHS to only have 2 or 3 dogs max for adoption at any given time. No matter how good some pet owners are; we have a big percentage who aren't responsible and let their pets run free as if they lived on farms instead of on tiny suburban lots.
Good Dog Greg says...
Mike
How about those folks that
How about those folks that are required to do community service? Or those that are in LCCC for DUIs? Let them go out and scoop the poop, since they [filtered word] on our community anyway, they may as well go out and make themselves useful.
GHS Hates the Environment
After hearing about how bad plastic bags are for the environment for the last couple years, then certainly we should just leave the dog poo on the ground rather than ruin the environment with a plastic bag? Right?
Make it $500, then the poop
Make it $500, then the poop might get picked up. Too many fake owners in town.