Here comes yet another letter re: Whiff and S_it Park. I have lived here in Sooke since 1976, and have quit counting the number of letters to the editor re: dog feces. I just returned from visiting a small town reliant on tourism. I stayed for three days walking the beaches and enjoying the company of many area people and their dogs.
How many piles of dog feces did I see in those three days? Zero. Everyone looks after their own animals and their waste. So what is wrong with so many people here?
First off, it is your dog/dogs so their waste is your responsibility.
On Whiffin Spit most of said offences take place between the welcome sign and the first trash can corner. Leave your dog on leash so you can actually be aware that they are laying a land mine and then pick up those mines? Yes, I know sometimes there are no poop bags in the containers, so take a minute and let the District of Sooke know they need replacing. Better yet, bring your own.
Sooke has bylaws and the following one applies to all of us.
Bylaw 44 reads: “Where an animal defecates on a highway, public place or lands of any person other than the owner of the animal, the person having care, custody, or control of the animal shall immediately remove the excrement and dispose of it in a sanitary manner.”
A high profile bylaw officer on the spit could effect change in a big way. She could hand out poop bags to the dog owners with directions on how to use them. Perhaps bylaw 54 should be enacted when necessary to encourage change in some people. This bylaw reads: “Any person who contravenes this Bylaw is liable upon summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 and the cost of prosecution. Every day during which there is an infraction of this Bylaw shall constitute a separate offence.” This also applies to the proposed off-leash dog park. I can only imagine what a walk in that park will be like.
Sadly, enough said, yet again.
Lexa Gollmer
Otter Point