Is the New West Going to the Dogs?

Second-hand Dog Breath May Be Latest Challenge for Boom Town Lifestyle

By

Marjorie Smith

One of the main reasons folks settle down in Rocky Mountain towns like Bozeman is for easy access to outdoor recreation. And in Bozeman, it appears, a majority of those folks choose to recreate in the company of their best friends, their faithful companions, their dogs.

Therein lies another challenge for lifestyle boom towns as they cope with unending growth. Dogs not only bring energy, warmth and unconditional adoration to their owners – they bring problems to the community. For one thing, they create huge quantities of dog poop.

The poop issue was quickly focused on (yuck!) at the first of four “dog discussions� conducted in Bozeman Tuesday by the dog subcommittee of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. Volunteer David Cook, who ran the meeting, explained that after the series of meetings is over, his subcommittee will take the citizen recommendations to the full committee which will then propose new ordinances, if appropriate, to the city commission.

Cook noted that in a recent survey of city residents, improvement and expansion of the city’s park system was the top-ranking request, and the number one complaint was dog waste and uncontrolled dogs. “How do we make dog owners be more responsible about cleaning up after their dogs?� Cook asked.

More “dog comfort stations� and more frequent servicing of them were suggested. In Bozeman, the stations –where plastic bags for picking up droppings are dispensed and can be deposited after use – have been provided by the Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) or by other volunteers although the city does empty the disposal cans. One Bozeman native who lives near Centennial Park on the city’s north side has provided the stations for that park and estimates that he goes through at least 2000 plastic bags in a year. “But Centennial Park is clean,� he said proudly. A dog lover from another part of town verified that statement. “I lost my keys there one day,� she said, “so I really scrutinized the grass.�

Dog owners at the meeting said they frequently pick up other people’s dog’s droppings (“We call those karma poops,� one woman said) and discussed the ethics of dropping filled bags into the nearest private garbage can (technically illegal, but certainly morally preferable to leaving your dog’s contribution on someone’s lawn, the group agreed, providing the bag is sealed).

The discussion kept coming back to education – how to convince dog owners (especially those proverbial irresponsible college students) that they must clean up after their pets so that all dog owners do not lose the privilege of recreating with their pets. What works? Signs in the parks? Brochures at veterinarians’ offices? Public service announcements on the radio?

One woman said, “When I see someone ignoring what their dog has just done, I hand them one of my bags and say, ‘Here, you’ll need this.’ And then I stand there and watch until they clean it up.�

The need for education was underlined when one dog owner professed surprise at learning that he was supposed to buy an annual city license for his dog. The subcommittee wonders if the license should be good for the same three year period that rabies shots are valid. Someone suggested that people would be more likely to buy the license if the money went into providing dog comfort stations rather than simply melting into the city’s general fund.

And of course, there is the need for enforcement of the city’s pet ordinances. Connie Lien, the police department’s animal control officer, uses a light hand in issuing citations. Although there are only three areas within the city where dogs are allowed to be off-leash according to ordinance, Lien said, “If I see you in one of the parks and you are interacting with your dog, playing fetch, whatever, I am not going to write you a ticket.� But, she added, “I’ll cite you if you don’t clean up after your dog.�

The meeting might have ended on a warm and fuzzy note worthy of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood (“Let’s all go out and get folks to cooperate!�) but then Sandy Hillman took the floor. She and her husband live on several acres abutting the GVLT’s beloved “Main Street to the Mountains� trail system that leads to the East Gallatin Recreation Area, fondly known as Bozeman Beach. “It’s not just about poop,� Hillman said and recounted horror stories of dogs leaping the fence to chase her horses, terrify the deer and pheasants she considers part of her family, and in at least one occasion, kill one of her cats. “Dogs come right up on our deck,� she said, “and some of the dog owners are hostile when we confront them. One man said, ‘My dog is command trained; he’ll come when I call him. And four hours
later he was still calling.’�

Melvin Hillman says that he often needs to explain to dog owners that the law allows a property owner to shoot any dog that comes on his property and threatens his livestock (another important item for those “Codes of the West� booklets that are meant to teach newcomers about life in the New West). “Hearing that usually gets their attention,� Hillman said.

While I am not a dog owner, some of my best friends and neighbors are, and one of my favorite parts of a hike or a ski jaunt up nearby Sourdough Canyon is the number of joyous canines I encounter on the trail. I have also lived in Japan where there is almost no possibility of owning anything bigger than a Chihuahua because there is simply no room to exercise dogs. Watching a large dog run up to and terrify a toddler in a park, or stick its face into a stranger’s picnic should remind all dog lovers of the consequences of individual selfishness. We would not want to see a campaign against “second hand dog� as our corners of paradise become ever more crowded.

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