It kind of bums us out to have to dump this on you a month before Christmas, but the “poo-rameters” of proper social behaviour appear to have been pushed beyond acceptable limits.
And, frankly, it stinks.
Poop, scat, excrement, feces, dung, droppings, call it whatever you want.
But what you don’t really want to do, is look at it — or, heaven forbid, step in it.
Users of a Brookswood area trail haven’t had much choice about the former, though, because someone has been tossing white plastic bags of dog poop — by the dozens, in fact — into a ditch that borders the path and is in close proximity to an elementary school.
It boggles the mind to think that someone would go to the trouble of bagging their dog’s leavings if all they planned to do was, well, leave them.
You can’t blame people if they’re a little browned off by the lack of consideration.
But so far, the bagging bandit has managed to avoid getting caught in the act.
Meanwhile, a local man and woman — for our purposes today, let’s call them heroes — disgusted by this lack of consideration, took care of business last week, collecting no fewer than 120 bags of doggie-doo and depositing them in the garbage, which, apparently, is located at not too great a distance from the scene of the repeated crime.
Sadly, it comes as no great surprise to learn that they returned just a few days later to find the collection piling up once again.
I have no proof whatsoever, but my gut feeling is that this is the work of some kid who begged his parents for a dog, promising to faithfully walk it and, of course, to pick up after it.
This is what’s known as getting off on a technicality.
Who knows whether it’s laziness, thoughtlessness or just a general disregard for others. No matter the reason, it’s sad that it’s come to this — people who don’t even own a dog cleaning up after others’ pets.
This is an extreme example, but the problem is not limited to just one area.
Langley has some of the prettiest trails in the region. Metro Vancouver in particular does a terrific job of keeping local parks in pristine condition, but even in one of these preserves, it’s not unheard of to catch a glimpse of a small white plastic bag tossed carelessly into the bushes.
The solution is pretty simple. If you don’t want to pick up poop and carry it until you can properly dispose of it, then don’t get a dog.
If that’s too restrictive for our phantom bag tosser, perhaps they and their pooch could move to France, where the rules on these things, I’m told, are somewhat looser.
The jig may be up, however, because the Township bylaw department has been made aware and they have promised to pay extra attention to the park.
From now on, the perpetrator (or perpetrators) better watch their step.
Come to think of it, that’s probably not a bad idea for the rest of us, either.