Poop minefield dogs soccer

By Jules
Xavier
Mar 16 2007

Stepping in a pile of fresh dog feces is not pleasant, especially when the cleats belong to a young soccer player.

Nor is it funny when another player goes for a slide tackle on wet grass and comes up with the ball, but also a leg smeared with canine excrement.

I witnessed both gross situations during a recent soccer tilt I had to officiate. Both players were not amused by their experience.

Sometimes it’s like navigating a minefield of dog poop during a game on some of our local pitches. In Alberta I had to contend with gopher holes, which are dangerous to a player’s limb if they happened to hit one. Here, it’s dog poop.

Since when does a soccer pitch become a toilet for the family pet while you’re out for a leisurely stroll in the Valley? However, if your dog leaves a gift on the lush grass being used by kids and adults playing weekend soccer games, it’s your responsibility to pick it up.

Same goes for the dog owners out enjoying the picturesque trails in the Valley. Stroll along the trail that runs in behind the Chamber of Commerce’s office and you’ll find dog poop left on either side of the paved walkway.

I go for my casual “walkies” with my own canine companion Tassja, but bring along grocery bags to pick up any dog “doo” she deposits. Why can’t the rest of the users of our walking trails pick up dog excrement left by their animals?

The doggy bag boxes were installed strategically along the rest of the city’s paved trails to encourage dog owners to pick up after their animals. It works for me if I had forgotten to bring my grocery bag.

Do other dog owners need to be exposed to this mess? Or dogless families just out enjoying a leisurely stroll?

What does it say about our community if visitors to the park, sports fields or its trail system have to navigate a minefield?

I concede it’s not all dog owners who go for a walk to exercise their canine companions and make the choice not to pick up after their cherished pet.

I see this as an ongoing problem based on the foul-smelling evidence left behind on our soccer pitches, trail sidelines as well as down at the Goose Spit.

The same can be said with cat owners who allow their feline friend to leave smelly gifts in our gardens. With no cat litter box to use, these animals won’t soil their own domain.

Instead, they find the nearest garden plot — soil containing seeds waiting to germinate — and leave a foul-smelling pile as well as contaminating the soil with their ammonia-like urine.

Be responsible for your pet and its bathroom habits.

Valley trail users and soccer players will appreciate this.

Jules S. Xavier is the Comox Valley Record’s assistant editor.