Flags placed in Kirkland parks remind dog owners to scoop poop

KIRKLAND, Wash. — Kirkland says its parks have a poop problem.

The city says dog owners using parks with their canine companions are failing to pick up their dogs' waste after a "deposit" is made.

To call attention to the problem, hundreds of yellow flags were placed at two Kirkland parks last week as part of a city campaign to get dog owners to responsibly deal with the doody.

Flags indicating where dog poop was found during a three-week period in Sept. were placed at Juanita Beach and Hazen Hills parks.

City staff found 66 cases of un-scooped poop along the shoreline of Juanita Beach and another 105 on the north side of the park.

At Hazen Hills Park in the Evergreen Hill neighborhood, crews found 94 cases.

According to the city, Kirkland estimates its 20,000 dogs produce nearly 6,000 pounds of poop a day.

"Dog waste contains harmful bacteria and germs that can spread disease to other dogs and wildlife. When it rains, dog waste washes away to the nearest storm drain, stream, creek, or lake. The bacteria in dog poop can harm water quality and can make our favorite places to swim and play unsafe," the city said.

City officials said the best way to prevent those issues is to simply scoop the poop into a bag and put it in the trash.

To help dog owners do their duty, the city installed six new poop bag dispensers next to trash cans in Juanita Beach and Hazen Hills parks.

To go one step further, the city is asking neighbors to sign a pledge to be a "Super Dooper Pooper Scooper."  The pledge involves a weekly poop scoop at home, taking bags on dog walks, scooping poop every time, and putting the scooped waste in the garbage.

Kirkland residents who sign the pledge will get a free poop scoop toolkit.

For more information, and to sign-up to be a Super Scooper, visit www.kirklandwa.gov/petwaste.

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