Longtime Brighton resident Bill Barber is dismayed by the amount of dog waste that is being revealed in some locations around town as winter recedes into springtime.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Casey’s Lane that connects Park Street to Main Street. It underwent a refurbishment during a beautification project completed last year, but its current state is anything but beautiful. Upon walking his four-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever Daisy through this area of late, Barber said he was greeted by an unsightly mess of dog feces left behind.
“Yeah, I was through there the other day and it was absolutely appalling. I couldn’t believe how much dog waste was on the sidewalk and the snowbank. It was unbelievable,” said Barber who’s a longtime member of the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Brighton.
Barber said during his one-hour walk with Daisy through various points of the town, there are some instances of dog waste left behind by dog owners, but nothing on the level of what’s currently occurring at Casey’s Lane.
“So we usually walk downtown in the morning and then over the Proctor Park and downtown a lot and around the schools and home. I usually walk the dog for an hour. For the most part it’s good, but there is of course some irresponsible dog owners who do not want to clean up after their dogs,” said Barber.
Barber noted there is simply no justification for leaving pet waste behind, especially in light of the municipality’s effort to ensuring there are receptacles and bags available for dog owners to use.
Brighton Councillor Mark Bateman, at a recent council meeting, explained he receives the most complaints regarding pet owners who neglect to clean up after their pets in public spaces. Although he acknowledges it’s a small percentage of dog owners who do not properly dispose of dog waste, it has nonetheless become problematic.
“It really is a slap in the face because if I’m not mistaken the municipality purchases the doggie bags for the stations, so it’s twice as bad when they’re using the bags then flinging them in trees. It’s not all dog owners, don’t get me wrong, the majority of them are really good, but there are a few of them that are making it really bad,” said Councillor Bateman at the council meeting.
When asked at council by Mayor Brian Ostrander if this problem was isolated to the dog park, Coun. Bateman responded that it was happening throughout the town.
“It’s in the sidewalks, it’s in the trees, it’s in the bushes, it’s only a handful, it’s a small percentage that are doing it, but they’re still doing it.”
The Municipality of Brighton has a bylaw on the books that compels dog owners to clean up after their pets. The bylaw reads as follows: If a dog defecates on any public or private property other than the property of its owner, the owner shall cause such excrement/feces to be removed immediately and entirely and disposed of in an environmentally approved manner.
Jim Millar, parks and recreation director for the municipality, acknowledged it is a problem, but no greater a problem than any other municipality experiences regarding dog waste left behind.
“I don’t think that it is any more of a problem than it is in many other cities,” said Millar in an email. “Dog owners just need to be more responsible and respectful of others and clean up after their pets. There are dog waste bag stations and garbage receptacles available for them to use.”
Millar said there are receptacles and dog waste bags available at the Municipality of Brighton Off-Leash Dog Park, dubbed the Brighton Bark Park, as well as five other parks and greenspaces.
(Written by: Alan Rivett)
