DENVER – A Denver man is asking pet owners to “cut the crap,” literally.
Fabian Harris, a wheelchair bound man, says he’s tired of dodging dog doo doo on downtown Denver streets. He said all he wants to do is take his wheelchair around LoDo, but the poop piles are taking over.
“Usually, you come down here, there’s like piles everywhere.”
The wheelchair bound man said he spends a lot of time maneuvering around the piles, but sometimes he doesn’t even see them. “More likely than not, I wouldn’t see it.”
Which as you could imagine, causes quite the mess. “Yes, especially if it get on my tires and everything.”
But aside from some dirty tires, the doo doo causes problems for walkers around Coors Field. “There’s a lot of foot traffic down here, especially on game day.”
Enforcement can be difficult, according to Denver Animal Protection. “The first complaint that we get is well we don’t have a bag. And one of the things that we can do is make small bad dispensers,” said Daniel Ettinger of Denver Animal Protection.
Ettinger said more dispensers and more education for dog owners may be the most effective way. “Feces can transmit disease and we don’t want kids. We don’t want other animals to be in contact with that.”
In order to keep sidewalks clean the message is clear, “cut the crap.”
Pet owners who leave poop behind are subject to a minimum fine of $150 in the City of Denver.
