Editor:
Some years ago the Sechelt Groves Society demonstrated its love of dogs by securing the Groves as a legal off-leash area. But now we have a problem.
The Groves are not looked after by some government agency. They are an all-volunteer effort, operating with the praise and direct approval of civic, provincial and First Nations authorities. Building and grooming trails, clearing fallen trees and all the other work needed to keep the Groves ship-shape for you and your dogs to enjoy is done by a small group of volunteers, most of them seniors. And they’ve been on the job for over 20 years.
For the past few months our volunteers have been finding used doggie bags, some days as many as three or four of them, left in the entrance kiosk area – some of them right under the sign asking people not to leave bags there. It appears these thoughtless dog owners think that a 75-year-old volunteer should take their doggie poop home rather than look after it themselves.
Doggie bags have become the curse of the Groves. We cannot have garbage cans there as we have no way to keep them empty, and some irresponsible people dump loads of their own garbage into public cans. We have clearly posted a sign saying: “Please push dog waste off the trail with a stick. Only use a plastic bag if you are willing to dispose of it responsibly.” There are plenty of sticks on the forest floor.
Please stop this thoughtless activity. Please take your doggie bag away with you. And if you see someone else leaving a doggie bag, please encourage them to take it away. Or take their car licence number, and we can report them to the RCMP for littering.
Sechelt Groves Society, www.secheltgroves.com
