April "Stools" Day in Belfast
April 6 was the second annual April Stools Day. Eighteen volunteers picked up almost 900 incidents of dog waste at three of Belfast's parks. Friends of Belfast Parks (www.friendsofbelfastparks.org) sponsors the event. The purpose is to draw attention to the problem of dog owners who fail to pick up after their dogs. Dog feces carry worms and bacteria such as E. coli, they leach into and contaminate Belfast Bay, they attract flies and parasites, they detract from the beauty of the streets and the parks, and they are exceedingly annoying when stuck to the bottom of shoes.
At the beginning of April Stools Day, members of the Friends of Belfast Parks put little flags into piles of dog feces which read: "Who left this? Scoop the poop. It's the law." In the next few weeks volunteers will use them to mark certain piles of dog feces, to try to draw the attention of the dog owners who perpetually fail to clean up after their dogs.
The problem is not just with certain dog owners. Although there is an ordinance with penalties for failing to pick up, the city has not cited dog owners for these violations. Carol Good, president of Friends of Belfast Parks, believes that even a few well-publicized fines could help draw attention to the problem. If all the dog owners whose dogs we picked up after on Sunday were to be fined even $10, the city would now be about $9000 richer.
In the next few weeks, Carol Good will report the results of April Stools Day to City Council. She will talk about the steps the Friends of Belfast Parks are taking, and will make suggestions about what the city could do to help alleviate this problem. "This is not that difficult," she said. "It's a matter of educating the public, and changing people's attitudes."