Andy Sauer
If you own a dog, and you walk your dog in public, you must pick up after them.
It’s not pretty, but it’s regarded as a civic duty as an owner — like obtaining a dog license (which, if you haven’t done by the time you’re reading this, you’re late!)
There was a time in recent memory when this was not the accepted code of conduct. You had to watch where you walked and be quick on your toes. A simple stroll could be messy business.
Social expectations changed, and owners either felt obliged to clean up after their canine companions or were ashamed of it. I still remember a neighbor of mine in West Hartford lying in wait for one notorious walker at 5 a.m. to pounce on him the second his pet relieved himself.
The world has come a long way from the days when you had to employ devices like the “Pooper Scooper” or re-use shopping bags. We now have rolls of brightly colored and durable plastic bags you can easily tote in a plastic carrier that attaches to a leash.
With some exceptions, Suffield owners are dutiful about picking up after their dogs. The problem is that some owners are neglecting to finish the job. They pick up after their dogs but leave the bag where it lies.
It’s not a chronic problem, but it’s a noticeable one.
I really want to believe that owners left the bag behind intending to pick it up on the way back and forgot about it. Incidents are so frequent, however, that I can only conclude these biowaste bags are left behind intentionally.
The idea to write about these occurrences was given to me nearly 10 years ago by a Hill Street Suffieldian who would notice these multi-colored droppings on her lengthy walks. At the time, I kind of filed the idea away as the actions of a lone quasi-anarchist with poop issues, until I began to notice them more frequently.
The problem ebbs and flows, but lately, the incidents have been piling up. Walking my dog a couple of weeks ago, I noticed two differently colored leave-behinds in consecutive yards. One dog walker abandoned a waste bag, and a second one, believing this specific brand of littering was the new norm, ditched another. This has developed into a stunning example of the Broken Windows Theory, which posits that an accepted level of decline spirals to ruin.
Our actions affect the quality of life wherever we are. While we like to believe good deeds bring rewards and bad deeds breed punishment, the critical motivation behind whatever we choose must be self-actualization — that is, you behave like the person you want to be.
So, I pick up my dog’s waste because I don’t want my town crapped up; I pick up the bag because I don’t want to make it look like crap. It’s a question of character, for the town and me.
Or, you can just let your dog out in your own yard and deal with the mess in your own way. I have a feeling, though, you won’t be littering it with neon plastic bags.