Sidewalk dog waste enraging

Reading Alan Finston’s letter from last week’s Pilot prompted me to finally write this long overdue letter.

My husband and I are residents of Colorado Avenue. When the city decided to put in the sidewalk, I was overjoyed. We have been thrilled to see folks in our neighborhood out walking.

The sidewalk is a wonderful contribution to the public health of this neighborhood. It not only keeps bike-riding children safe from speeding cars, but also encourages residents to go for a walk, be for fitness, contemplation or groceries in town.

I, too, have been absolutely disgusted by the large amounts of solid dog excrement that have piled up all along this sidewalk.

Let me invite any Whitefish resident to take a stroll down our street to truly understand what I mean by large amounts. The sidewalk has become almost unwalkable.

I want to be clear that I have no issue with dogs, nor dog owners. I was understood, however, that this town had a law that required dog owners to pick up their dogs’ solid waste in public places.

Either some dog owners think that someone else will clean up after their dog, or their dogs are taking themselves out for a walk while the owners sit inside their homes.

Many times I have observed from my living room window several dogs out on their own roaming the street, and unfortunately also watched while they relieved themselves on my driveway, front lawn or sidewalk.

I have also observed dog owners taking their dog for a walk, watch their dog utilize the sidewalk to relieve themselves, and then continue on.

Each day I take a walk, I am enraged by this issue. I certainly can see why an out-of-town resident like Mr. Finston would be disgusted by all this dog waste on his recent vacation and, as such, make a judgement about the residents of this town.

I implore the dog owners in the area to pick up after their dog. I am not sure wastebaskets with bag dispensers will help, as I see the same problem with solid dog waste on the walking path by the railroad.

I would love to see more sidewalks in this town, but I am not so sure I want more paths full of dog waste.

Heather Pfeiffer

Whitefish