We don’t want to ‘beat a dead horse’ as they say, but the problem of animals running loose and owners not picking up after their animals appears to be getting worse from complaints we are hearing. From one resident…she has no dogs but at the time she wrote us had 5 large ‘piles’ in her yard near her walkway. During the last snow, she saw very large dog tracks in her yard. Someone is apparently letting their dogs out early in the morning or late in the evening, when animal control is not on duty.
We have listed the wording from the Code of Ordinances City of Greenville that apply to this situation below:
· Sec. 4-9. – Prohibitions and restrictions of animals in public places. (b) Any owner, keeper or other person having control or supervision of an animal must remove promptly all feces left by the animal upon any place where people congregate or walk upon, including, but not limited to, any street, sidewalk, plaza, public park, playground or upon any public property whatsoever within the city.
· Sec. 4-14. – Running at large. No owner or keeper shall willfully or negligently permit any dog to run at large beyond the limits of such person’s own land or the land lawfully occupied or controlled by the owner or keeper.
Please use common courtesy and pick up after your dog, and remember there are leash laws in the city. It’s not just a courtesy issue but when left on the street, the feces will end up in the storm drains and, thus, the waterways. Dog waste is an environmental pollutant. In 1991, it was labeled a non-point source pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), placing it in the same category as herbicides and insecticides; oil, grease and toxic chemicals; and acid drainage from abandoned mines.
Please help educate others who are not aware of or are ignoring the ordinance, including your neighbors. Thank you!
