Lately I've been hearing a lot about dog owners out on walks being harassed by homeowners regarding picking up after their dogs.
This morning I got that experience firsthand walking my dogs near the corner of Marine View Drive SW and SW Ocean View Drive in the Oceanview neighborhood of West Seattle. While I see my fair share of unattended dog messes in the street, I don’t think anyone should be harassed and subjected to misdirected hostility and certainly not pet owners making an obvious effort to pick up after their dogs.
I've been walking down that stretch of street a few times a day since I moved to the Oceanview neighborhood a few months ago. I want to mention that it's a great neighborhood full of friendly and kind people always ready to say hi and chat you up in the street and ask to pet your pooches. Great place to live!
So you can imagine my surprise when this morning with dogging poo bag in hand ready to swoop in and clean it up when the owner of the house pulls out in his U-Haul truck into the middle of the street into the oncoming lane to order me to pick up after my dog, and I do mean order me. I assured him that I always make an effort to pick up after my dogs in an attempt to reason with him and then proceeded to pick it up. I was then subject to his angry ranting and accusations about all of the poo in his yard as if I had something to do with that and unreasonable suggestions including where I could and couldn't walk on his stretch of the street and a less than generous invitation to stay on the street I live on and away from his house...apparently he owns all of the property in front of his house up to the yellow line. As if this wasn't bad enough, twice during the confrontation he began to get out of the truck (while it was still parked in the middle of the street) at which point I demanded he stay in his vehicle. Suffice it to say I thought it was out of character for my neighborhood and completely out of control.
So in an attempt to keep fellow dog owners apprised of their rights and the law. Below is the Seattle Municipal Code and website stating the restrictions and laws around dogs and pooping in public and private areas.
Enjoy and be safe.
http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?d=CODE&s1=9.25.082.snum.&Sect5=CODE1&Sect6=HITOFF&l=20&p=1&u=/~public/code1.htm&r=1&f=G
SMC 9.25.082 Offenses relating to safety and sanitation.
It is unlawful for an owner to:
A. Allow the accumulation of animal feces in any open area, run, cage or yard wherein animals are kept and to fail to remove or dispose of feces at least once every twenty-four (24) hours;
B. Fail to remove the fecal matter deposited by his/her animal on public property or private property of another before the owner leaves the immediate area where the fecal matter was deposited;
C. Fail to have in his/her possession the equipment necessary to remove his/her animal's fecal matter when accompanied by said animal on public property or public easement;
D. Have possession or control of any animal sick or afflicted with any infectious or contagious disease and fail to provide treatment for such infection or disease, or suffer or permit such diseased or infected animal to run at large, or come in contact with other animals, or drink at any public or common watering trough or stream accessible to other animals.
Owners of service dogs shall be exempted from subsections B and C of this section.
(Ord. 119998 Section 21, 2000; Ord. 116694 Section 8, 1993; Ord. 112335 Section 1(part), 1985.)
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