Arvada City Officials Pick Up Dog Waste To Send Residents A Message
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - The City of Arvada is warning people to pick up after their pets. City crews put up red flags for every spot where waste was left behind, and on Wednesday the mayor and city council spent their lunch hour picking it all up.
A park near 68th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard had more than 500 red flags in it earlier Wednesday -- each one marking dog waste. It's now much cleaner after city officials spent an hour cleaning up and hoping to send a message to pet owners.
With three dogs of his own, Chad Brace knows what pet ownership is all about.
"They can't pick up their own poo," Brace said.
He was refilling the plastic bag dispenser at the park hoping it will encourage people to pick up after their pets.
"This is not just an Arvada issue," Maria VanderKolk with the City of Arvada said. "It's bad for the environment. I don't think a lot people understand that dog waste is toxic and spreads disease; and it gets into our waterways."
"Now we're not going to clean up after everybody all the time," Arvada Mayor Marc Williams said.
Williams says while they are not quite ready to resort to DNA testing like other cities and local HOAs, they do want to send a message.
"We want people to be responsible about cleaning up after their pets," he said.
In Arvada the fine of not picking up after a pet can reach $999.
