[ilovetv]

Originally Posted by vj1213

I have to agree this is not about dog poop. That topic has been beaten to death. I often take my dog to the Tamarind Grove area too on our walks. After we walked today I was approached by Community Watch, he said this is not a dog park, I said excuse me, he said this is private property and you can't have a dog here. I simply said well my dog is on his leash, here is his poop in my little bag, and I do believe this is Villages property not private property. I said I don't understand how TV being taunted as pet friendly will allow me to walk my dog on any town square or inside any of the sales centers (we actually have dog treats in the sales centers to give to dogs who come in) and you say this is the only private property where dogs aren't allowed.
I must say there were a few very hot tempered dog walkers there who got very argumentative.
I came home and called the district office (was told they knew nothing) they passed me on to community watch who passed me to their supervisor, who passed me to their supervisor and no one could tell me anything. All I got from the last lady was..give me your # and we will have someone who is aware of the situation call you back. Haven't heard back.
I will just say, whether it be dogs or any other countless rules, there will always be those who don't believe rules apply to them or choose only to follow a select few. I don't think dogs should be hanging around the postal stations themselves, but in the grassy areas that surround them, I don't see a problem. Just gives some people something else to complain about.

It also gives some people something else to purposely miss the point about, so they can minimize and ridicule a valid complaint in need of solutions.

"Dog waste is more than just a cosmetic issue. Stepping in it is no longer comical. Forty-nine percent of Americans own a dog. BioPet Vet Lab, an animal DNA testing laboratory in Knoxville, Tenn., estimates that 38 percent of dog owners don't clean up after their pets. BioPet's research shows that 73 million dogs pile up 6.3 billion pounds of waste annually. Shamefully, 40 percent, or 2.5 billion pounds, is never picked up by owners.

No surprise then that Consumer Reports said dog waste ranked No. 6 on the list of America's Top Gripes in 2010, or that the Environmental Protection Agency lists pet waste as one of its top water-pollution concerns.

Some pet owners feel that authorities are picking a bone with them by passing intrusive pet regulations. But association boards, neighbors, homeowners, community leaders and environmentalists bark at each other in civic dialogue about this problem.

According to BioPet, "E. coli bacteria from dog droppings has been identified as a significant pollutant to our parks, rivers and regional watersheds." A medium-size dog has twice the environmental impact on the earth as driving a luxury SUV 10,000 miles, CNN has reported.

The EPA places dog waste in the same health category as oil and toxic chemicals. EPA researchers are tracking how unclaimed dog waste washes from green spaces to storm drains and then into our waterways.

The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program notes, "An average-size dog dropping produces 3 billion fecal coliform bacteria."

The estuary program's website also points out: "Pet waste is a significant source of fecal coliform bacteria entering Sarasota Bay."

Approximately 26 tons of pet waste is deposited on the ground in Sarasota and Manatee counties every day, the site notes. "Dog poop does not stay on the grass but gets washed down the storm drains and delivered untreated to the closest waterway during rain events."

That's why the Sarasota Bay estuary program has joined the effort to safeguard public health and keep our waters clean. The program has teamed with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to offer the "Pooches for the Planet" pet-waste pollution education program (www.sarasotabay.org).........."

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...te=printpicart