As winter departs Yellowknife, it’s giving citizens a reminder of the treasures that have lain under the snow for months.
After hibernating under a blanket of ice, nuggets of doggie gold are exposing hard truths about lazy owners refusing to pick up after their pets in the cold winter months.
On Tuesday, the NWT SPCA animal shelter held its annual poop pick-up event at Fred Henne Territorial Park, hoping to clean up the park for the summer.
“A lot of people walk their dogs during the winter and some people don’t pick up after their dogs, so we get the campsite ready for the campers,” said NWT SPCA executive director Nicole Spencer.
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Every May, melting snow reveals garbage, dirt and dog waste hidden throughout the winter months. The city organizes spring clean-up initiatives to help manage the mess left behind after the thaw.
Tuesday’s event attracted around 10 volunteers and organizers.
“It’s a beautiful park and we’re fortunate to be able to walk our dogs here,” said Yellowknife resident and dog owner Helen Hoeve. Asked what motivated her to come out, she said: “We want people to think favourably of us and we want to be able to continue to use the park.”
Another volunteer was Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart. “Spring always brings with it poop, litter, cigarette buds, and I always take a bag with me on a dog walk and pick up what I find,” he said.
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While good Samaritans make annual contributions to the clean-up, dog poo surfacing in the warmer months is a recurring problem. The city has tried initiatives in the past like a “dog poop amnesty,” but some of the volunteers on Tuesday felt the situation hasn’t improved much over time.
“There’s a lot of dogs here. The park has a red bin here that people can easily put their poop in, but residents don’t don’t do that,” said Spencer, adding the amount of poop collected at each SPCA event remains consistent.
“Every year there’s a lot. Every year I’m always surprised at how much there is,” she said.
“Nobody likes to see poop around the streets.”
In all, Tuesday’s operation resulted in 20 large bags of dog waste being collected and removed.
