Let's talk about dog poop and dog leashes!

Thank you for your feedback

Thank you for completing our surveys and providing your feedback on these important issues. A summary of your feedback is posted below in the news feed section. We asked, you answered, and we are pleased to implement your solutions in an effort to encourage more responsible dog ownership. Visit the next steps article below for details. Thank you for contributing to this process!

1. Encourage dog owners to pick up dog poop

We receive several complaints of dog poop left on fences, in parks and on trails and it seems like signage and enforcement are not working. This behaviour is not okay. It means people can't enjoy their time in parks and on trails as much as they'd like because dog poop is unhygienic and can be toxic and harmful to people and pets. Park and trail users shouldn't have to worry about stepping in it by accident and tracking it home on their shoes.

2. Encourage dog owners to keep dogs on a leash

We love seeing you walk your dog on local trails and in parks, however we receive several complaints about dogs being off-leash. It is a bylaw and you could be fined if you are caught walking your dog off-leash. Your dog is friendly with you but they can be threatening to other trail and park users including seniors and young children, even other dogs. It seems like signage and enforcement are not working.

3. New locations for dog poop containers

Currently, there is one dog poop recycling container at each of these locations in Waterloo:

Dog owners pick up poop and drop it into these containers. Any type of bag can be used - they don't have to be compostable. A waste removal company empties the containers with a vacuum and transports the waste to be converted into energy.

The estimated environmental benefits are impressive. Since 2017, these containers:

• diverted about 91,687 lbs of waste from the landfill
• removed 1.16 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere
• powered the equivalent of 24.36 homes for a year

Our goal is to grow this program, and install additional containers every year.

Our hope is that additional containers will encourage more dog owners to dispose of their dog poop properly. If we receive ideas for more than the five units we have budgeted, we will keep the list for future installations.

This is our city, our Waterloo. It's important we all do our part to follow the rules so people and pets stay safe, and our parks and trails remain beautiful and clean.