Spring is a time for cleaning up the outdoor area. Leaves to rake, new mulch around plantings and picking up trash. In Holland Michigan, there is the annual sweeping of the streets.
My husband and I have a area in our neighborhood that we walk daily. This year, we decided to clean up the animal feces along the path to the 5th/6th grade school. It is located near a small wooded,lowland area.
We started with a trash bag and a a hand extension to pick up trash while standing.
We started to walk the short path between the start of the path and the school property. We were surprised to find and gather a full bag of dog leavings.
People were kind enough to bag their pet’s feces but they throw the bag off the path area. The bags that were used were not biodegradable and would not decompose. The good thing about the bags were they were bright, either yellow or bright green. They were easy to spot in the brambles.
Gathering the bags seemed like a weird Easter hunt.
I thought about the training that Guide dogs and their owners go through to learn how to pick up their dog’s feces. A guide dog is trained to void on gravel or a sand space. They will go on command and wait for their owner to praise them while they locate and clean up.
Perhaps other pet owners could learn to clean up after their pets.
As for my husband and myself, we will continue to walk and take a trash bag along on our walks.
Nature’s cleanup
there are leavings from wild animals.
deer leave small hard balls , birds void in flight.
only pet owners bag and toss their animals feces.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Carolaspot@aol.com
traveling up and down the blind highway 