A Woodstock Early Bird dog owner who acts responsibly has written to me about how appalled she is to see that people are STILL not picking up their dog waste. C’mon people! Get with the program! If you’re not picking up after your dog, you’re making the rest of us look bad. We, dog walkers who enjoy a clean, smush-free experience as much as the next person, want to put on a community-oriented, clean, healthy, happy face (just like the faces of Lucky and Juneau featured in the photo to the left).
With all the dogs in Woodstock Village you might think we’re a dog-friendly town. But the fact is we’re fighting a battle just to exist. There is virtually no where a dog can LEGALLY run SAFELY off leash. Voters were even up in the arms at the last Town Meeting about the expenditure of $5,000 for dog waste bags. Many think it’s a waste of money, so to speak, calling the strategically placed poo pick-up dispensers unnecessary. Despite the extra work putting them out, I’ll bet our Village maintenance crews appreciate not having feces flung up in their faces as they mow our public lawns.
For my part — based on the experience of living here and walking my dog in the Village for close to 20 years — I totally endorse the poo pick-up dispensing expenditures. It has made a HUGE difference in cleaning up the public areas of the Village. We are a tourist town and this is a proper investment in promoting a pleasant visitor experience and in promoting responsible dog ownership. However, if we, the dog owners, don’t take advantage of this tax payer service, we’re all gonna’ be deep in doo-doo once again. It won’t be pretty. And I’ll be the first one complaining about having to hose off the sneakers.
To bring the point home — This VERY morning, right on the lawn in front of our Woodstock “Welcome” Center, not 5 feet from a trash can AND a dog-poo bag dispenser I noted three separate piles of dog feces. Really? Hello! The tools for pick-up are within reach. Are some of we dog walkers not just irresponsible but also morons? The Village of Woodstock is making it easy. If you can’t pick it up, keep your dog at home or buy 100 acres somewhere outside the Village where poo pick-up is not an issue. Sheesh.
There is a small but growing group of citizens who would like to ask for help in the future to create a friendly, safe, clean dog park. But, heads up, no one, especially those who don’t like dogs to begin with, will support a dog park unless we (the dog owners) show that we can be responsible with our beloved pets.
Pick it up people!
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 