News 8 AustinYour News NowYour News NowAn Exclusive Service of Time Warner Cable
News 8 Austin


TOP STORIES


HEADLINES


FORT HOOD SHOOTING


LOCAL NEWS


Central Texas


Hays County


• San Marcos


Bastrop County


Bell County


Caldwell County


McLennan County


Willliamson County


YOUR NEWS


WEATHER


SPORTS


HS FOOTBALL


LIVING


NEWS 8 EXPLORES


SPECIAL COVERAGE


COMMUNITY


COMMENTARY


ABOUT US


SEARCH


NEWS8CAST VIDEO




Join us on Sunday, December 13 for the Jinglebell 5k, benefiting MADD.



Contact News 8 through the IVC.

LOCAL NEWS
FridayNovember202009



x61
City reminding dog owners to clean up after their pets
3/7/2008 6:32 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

A German Shepherd relaxes at Bull Creek District Park Friday.  
The City of Austin is concerned about high levels of bacteria at Bull Creek District Park.

They say not enough people are picking up what their pets are
leaving behind.

That's creating a health hazard. But there's a new campaign aimed at pressuring pet owners to scoop their poop.

Louie can play frisbee, jump high in the air and heel to his
owner.

 WATCH THE VIDEO
More Information
Dog Poop

The city is reminding dog owners to clean up after their pets or face a fine.



But even the most well trained dog can't learn every trick.

"In Austin we estimate there are about a hundred thousand dogs in the city which means 50 thousand pounds of pet poop in one day," Kathy Shay with City of Austin Watershed Protection said.

If that's not enough to gross you out, recent water tests done at
Bull Creek Park show when dog owners don't clean up, all that
poop is going straight to the water.

"We're here to spread the word that we have seen some high
bacteria levels in this specific stretch where the off leash dog area is," Nancy McClintock, with City of Austin Watershed Protection said.

In some cases the tests came back more than two times the State Standard for Contact Recreation, mostly on the weekends when more dogs are out to play.

"Removing soil. Feces on their paws and then humans in and out of the water and in and out of the park," Mateo Scoggins with City of Austin Watershed Protection said.

Friday City officials met at Bull Creek Park to spread their
message.

"Our educational campaign out here really consists of adding more mutt mitt dispensers, we've got the signage that you see we'll have that right here in the off leash area," McClintock said.

Park police will be stepping up too, issuing warnings and tickets
if you decide to leave the park a little brown present.

It's a plan dog owners we talked to say they support.

"You don' t want to be walking around and step in it. It's just
courtesy," dog owner Erin Keigher said.

"It's something that needs to be done. It's a very simple thing, we
just all have to do a little bit to help out," dog owner Paul Sulinski said.

The city will retest the water in the next 8 weeks. They hope a
little humor and spreading the word can keep our parks clean and healthy.

Leaving pet poop behind is against City Code and pet owners
who don't clean up face a Class C misdemeanor which carries up to a 500 dollar fine.



Email this Story to a Friend
Printer Friendly Version
Search LOCAL NEWS

Weather Center
overnight
11/21/2009
Mid 50s
morning
11/21/2009
Near 50
daytime
11/21/2009
Mid 60s

Troubled Waters
News 8's Jenna Hiller explored the troubled waters in Central Texas and traveled down the Colorado River in search of information. Click on the links to watch, read and interact.

Part 1: Regional cooperation drying out
Part 2: Texas rice farmer takes on water wars
Part 3: Security of supply saturates perception
Part 4: Bad news travels near and far
Part 5: Bad news travels near and far

Where does your water come from?

Call today for a free termite inspection.

For News 8's continuing coverage of the Fort Hood mass shootings visit our Fort Hood Shooting section, watch video from reporters in the field and press conferences with officials, and view our photo galleries: The Day Of The Shootings | The Memorial | The Victims
Online Poll

The City of Austin plans to have the Nueces Bike Boulevard opened by late spring. The boulevard would be a multi-use path where car traffic is discouraged. How do you feel about this?
I think this is a great idea, we need more roads like this
I think it needs more public input
I don’t think this is a good idea
Other-Your comments

VoteView Results
Neighborhood Calendar
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Oct NOVEMBER 2009 Dec
S M T W Th F S
Week Of 11/1/2009-11/7/2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Week Of 11/8/2009-11/14/2009 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Week Of 11/15/2009-11/21/2009 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Week Of 11/22/2009-11/28/2009 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Week Of 11/29/2009-12/5/2009 29 30





Baby Products





Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Information | Site Map | Click for RSS information
Copyright ©2009TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

Web production by Tipit


Digital Cable offers the latest in home-viewing entertainment.
Talk as long as you want to anyone in Texas and the United States for one low monthly price.
Time Warner Cable now offers you more choices in High Speed Internet service.
Time Warner Digital Cable offers a wide variety of commercial products designed to accelerate the gr
Video On Demand lets you instantly choose from a wide selection of great movies and award- winning p
Digital Cable channel lineups.
Time Warner Cable of Austin offers 15 HDTV channels on digital cable.
TV listings for your service area.
Take a look at the special offers and promotions available now through Time Warner Cable Austin.
Record two shows at once. Plus fast-forward, rewind, and even pause LIVE TV to get a snack, answer t

On the go? Follow us on Twitter and we'll keep you current.

Connect with your Austin local businesses now.Sponsored Links

Get $300 your bath remodel