A Port Coquitlam hiker says owners need to start cleaning up after their dogs

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – ‘Pick up after your dog,’ that’s the message from a Port Coquitlam hiker who’s fed up of owners leaving their dog’s feces behind.

Aaron Smith was hiking on Mount Seymour when he saw a bag filled with dog feces on the ground.

Frustrated he took a photo and shared it online, and as he suspected, he said many people shared his frustration.

“I thought, you know, what this must be something that we all encounter on a regular basis and it’s frustrating,” he said. “I don’t really understand why someone would go to the effort of putting dog feces in a bag and just not take it down, doesn’t make an ounce of sense.”

But this is not the first time, being an avid hiker, Smith said this is something he sees every time he goes hiking.

“I come across this kind of issue on a fairly regular basis,” he said.

Many commented on his photo, saying the problem was actually getting worse on trails across B.C.

“People may not think any better, they think ‘oh you know what it’s a compostable bag, what would this do to the environment’ but the fact is everyone else has to use the trails,” Smith said.

The fine for littering on a provincial park is $115, but John Hawkings with the Ministry in charge of B.C. trails says enforcement is quite difficult.

“Certainly catching somebody would be extremely difficult and extremely rare,” Hawkings said. “What we really want is we expect all dog owners to be responsible.”

He said all owners should abide by the “pack it in, pack it out” approach.

But Smith said that’s clearly not working, noting his photo online showed this is an issue people are far too familiar with.

“It’s just completely disrespectful you know, I don’t know what else to say, it just blows my mind.”