Give the members of

(Friends in Dog Ownership) a thumbs up for their effort to focus their neighborhood on a real problem: Dog poop. No, it might not be something people want to think about or talk about, but it is an issue people need to aware of -- in all neighborhoods.

Folks walk their dogs, their dogs do what dogs do, and then the folks don't do what they should do: Pick up their dog's waste.

It's not just a problem in Highland Park.

"It's a problem in most communities," said Sharon Nelson, a member of the Highland Park FIDO group. "This is a common problem for most municipalities."

It's certainly a problem in my own neighborhood in Southside, where dog walkers seldom clean up after Fido when he does, well, what he's going to doo-doo.

The difference in my neighborhood and many others is that in Highland Park, a group of mostly pet owners and neighborhood activists are tired of the poop piling up.

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In response, the FIDO committee, a subcommittee of the neighborhood's Beautification Committee, started a red-flag campaign to bring attention to the problem. Volunteers spread out and red-flagged piles of poop on public spaces. The campaign, unanimously approved by the Highland Park Neighborhood Association, has sparked some controversy.

A few people on the Highland Park FIDO page and some in the neighborhood have called the red flags "litter" and said the flags are even more offensive than the piles of dog poop they mark.

"The whole point was to point out the poop," says FIDO member Suzanne Baker. "We wanted to do something graphic, but something fun and positive."

The red-flag campaign is timed right.

, the area's largest annual animal event, is this Saturday at Caldwell and Rhodes parks in the Highland Park neighborhood. Not only will the FIDO volunteers bring more awareness about the need for dog owners to pick up their pets' waste, but because of their own commitment to cleaning up the neighborhood, the parks and public rights-of-way will be cleaned before the Saturday festival.

By the way, it is against the law to not pick up your dog's poop, punishable by a $100 fine. Problem is, police, with so much else on their plate, rarely, if ever, cite a dog owner for not picking up the poop.

It's the same, basically, for the off-leash law that is rarely enforced.

"If a few people got tickets, it would get around," said Baker. "Nobody enforces the off-leash law, so nobody enforces the poop law."

Still, the Birmingham Police Department could have regular campaigns where they ticketed folks who failed to pick up after their pets, and word would get around. Of course, this isn't going to be a high priority for police officers; they have plenty to do as it is. But it could be a focus campaign for a few days, occasionally, so people wouldn't simply ignore the ordinance signs that warn of the $100 fine.

This isn't simply a "I-don't-want-to-step-in-it" issue. Feces, dog or human, is a pollutant. We learned long ago the dangers of disease from our own feces, and we dealt with the problem through modern sanitation and sewers.

Dog feces isn't much different -- except we do a poor job dealing with it.

"The EPA has classified it as a storm water pollutant," said Sharon Nelson. "It gets in the gutter, then in creeks and streams." This is an issue drawing

attention.

Sharon Nelson said the EPA points out that the first step to doing something about it is public awareness. That's exactly what the Highland Park FIDO group is trying to accomplish. And, if nothing else, they have people talking.

Dog poop "is not a fertilizer, contrary to popular belief," said Sharon Nelson. "There are billions of fecal

bacteria in dog poop." And that is related to E.coli, she said.

Sharon Nelson said the EPA claims two to three days of droppings from about 100 dogs near open water would temporarily close a bay and all watersheds within 20 miles to swimming and fishing. Dangerous bacteria, worms and other parasites are found in dog waste, Nelson said. And some of these parasites and bacteria can live in the soil for a long time after the feces has disappeared.

And remember, said Sharon Nelson: "Most of these pets are pooping on public property."

Highland Park FIDO put up more than 400 flags in one day. There has been some push back, but Baker and Harry Nelson, another member of the group, said most of the response has been positive.

"I expected it (push back)," Baker said. "I was expecting even more."

More neighbors have responded with encouragement.

"When I was putting out flags, I had six people approach me to thank me," said Harry Nelson. "Flags are not an environmental hazard. Dog poop is."

As I randomly surveyed a number of folks in the neighborhood about the red flag campaign, not one opposed it. But I did hear, via email, from others who did oppose the campaign, calling the flags unsightly and litter.

But, then, what is dog poop? Certainly not a sunflower.

On Thursday from 4-7 p.m., FIDO volunteers will be picking up the red flags and the accompanying poop, along with any other kinds of litter they find. They are being good neighbors.

"Cleaning up the flags without cleaning up the poop is pointless," Baker said. But, she added: "The poop fairy does not clean up after dogs."

That's right, said Sharon Nelson: "It would also be helpful if people would clean up their dog's waste."

This not a one-time effort for Highland Park FIDO. Such public education campaigns will be repeated. The group also is installing more ordinance signs and dog waste bag stations. It would be a good idea if other neighborhood associations joined the effort.

"The key is persistence," said Baker.

Dogs tend to poop where other dogs poop, Baker said; if an area is kept clean, a dog owner is more likely to clean up after his dog.

"But if there're 10 poops in an area, what's one more?" said Baker.

There will always be a few irresponsible pet owners; it's up to proactive groups like Highland Park FIDO to provide education and encouragement to the responsible ones.

Is this a problem in your neighborhood? How would you deal with it? Is the red flag campaign in Highland Park a good idea? What do you think?