Beaconsfield resident poo-poos doodoo situation

BY RAFFY BOUDJIKANIAN

raffy.boudjikanian@transcontinental.ca

Imagine taking a walk through scenic Angell Woods in Beaconsfield to fill your lungs with clean air and take in the beautiful greenery. Children play around you, other nature lovers pass by at a leisurely stroll.

And then you see bags of doggy-doodoo thrown over tree branches, or overflowing garbage cans.

"I can't believe anybody could be so crass to do it," said Beaconsfield resident Beverley McCann, after witnessing such a scene last Thursday while she was out for a walk.

McCann added she has nothing against dogs, and said it would be a shame if all dog owners were punished because of the action of a few who are too lazy to properly dispose of their pets' handiwork.

McCann said she had no suggestions for the City of Beaconsfield, other than perhaps picking up the trash more often to keep the bins from overflowing.

Stephen Lloyd, president of the Association to Protect Angell Woods, said most of the community organization's 800 members are very sensitive to the situation. "There are a few people who leave us with awful mounds or bags that someone has to pick up," he added. "There is nothing worse than running into one of these mounds while pulling the kids behind you on a sleigh, mittens trailing in the snow."

Beaconsfield Mayor Bob Benedetti said the public works department was swamped with demands to clean up snow after the last snowstorm that hit last Wednesday, especially around public fire hydrants.

However, the garbage cans should have been emptied last Monday, he added.

"I would think that a responsible dog owner who sees that the garbage bin was full would take the bag home," he added.

Though the City of Beaconsfield became an owner of part of Angell Woods before last Christmas, Benedetti said his administration is trying to be lenient with regulations, allowing dogs to run off-leash, for example. "We're expecting people to be responsible," he said.

Benedetti said he expected citizens and dog owners to watch over themselves, and tell someone to clean up their act if they see any wrong-doing.

"Short of putting someone there to catch somebody doing it, there's not much we can do," he said, adding that it would not be a viable solution.