I want to live my life with a heart like a dog, loving, trusting, forgiving.  I really do.  But I’m human after-all and sometimes I fail and when I fail, I usually fail miserably.

Wednesday when we entered the park I noticed a couple of posts had been hammered into the ground.

I wonder what they’re going to put on those? I said to Hubby, A sign that says no fires and no drinking in the park that the kids will promptly pull off and probably burn?

It was a flippant remark, half in jest, half-true.  I’ve called and complained to the town about the kids smashing glass bottles, making bombs out of soda bottles and breaking off tree limbs in order to have a fire.

For the record, I haven’t complained about them smoking pot or having sex up there and leaving their used condoms in the field.

Just. For. The. Record.  I want it to be known that I’m mean, but I’m not that mean. After all I was a kid once myself.

Thursday when we pulled up to the park, I found out what the sign posts were for.

• Why pick up after your pet?
• It is being a good neighbor.
• Vernon town ordinance 232, It’s the law.  $25 fine per occurrence.
• It protects the environment.
• The average sized dog dropping produces 3 Billion Fecal Coliform Bacteria.
• Enough Said!
• To Learn More Please Take One.

Over on the left side of the path, was a lovely new Poop Station.

There’s a little sign next to this that says, “Compliments of the James Family.”

It was hot out.  I was already hot.  My temper got hot.  So hot.  I think I could have spit nails.  I went from calm and collected to seven ways to pissed off.  Why?

1. It’s ostentatious.  A nice poop station with some basic information about waste would be fine. (Although with the nimrods that walk their dogs up there, this might really be necessary.)
2. It shows me the folks that are focusing on poop pick up don’t have a clear idea of why there’s so much unclaimed poop. I mean, how the hell can you pick up after your dog, if you have no idea where your dog actually is?
3. People with dogs that use this entrance to the park are few.  Not counting the people with the pugs who live four houses down and walk their pugs up there just to take a dump.  And then leave it.  My mother thinks he actually works for the town.  They need to post this information at the illegal entrance to the park, the area where at least eight different dog owners enter, some who bring their dogs in just to let them pinch a loaf. Not one of them with leashes, never mind poop bags.
4. Poop bags and pamphlets are just one more thing the kids will take and scatter about the park.  In fact, I found about six of them out in the street yesterday when we went for our walk.
5. Why are they focusing on dogs?  Nobody goes in and gets pissed off because the deer crapped in the field, or the horse that left a huge land mine in the middle of the trail, that I needed Carabiners and ropes to climb over.
6. One poop station at the entrance to a park.  Maybe your dogs are trained to poop on command but mine aren’t.  They usually crank a steamer in the middle of the park. I still have to carry that stinky bag through the park.  Have I mentioned the bugs?  There are bugs in the park and guess what?  They like the smell of poop. 
7. Signs and poop bags are nice, but they don’t compare to two feet patrolling the park and actually ticketing people for letting their dogs drop ass wherever they want.  If you want to put a stop to the problem you actually need to start ticketing people.

I’ve calmed down some since the initial viewing, which is a good thing.  As I’m about to call the town and state my case and it’s always better if I do this when I’m wagging my tail instead of growling and snarling.

What pisses you off about where you walk your dog?  Are there any situations where the powers in charge don’t seem to really have a grasp about the issue?