Chennai society is getting tough on dog poop

RWA in CIT Colony wants them to carry a poop bag to clear their dog’s refuse

The Lakshmans are walking their dog. That is a familiar sight to residents of the neighbourhood, thanks largely to an “accessory.

Their pet dog Bagel is on a leash that comes attached with a poop bag.

Geetha Lakshman and Lakshman Chidambaram, long-time residents of CIT Colony who walk their eight-year-old Beagle twice a day, sometimes taking turns to do so.

They drop the dog poop in the biodegradable poop holder to add to the composting equipment at their home. “Only if the location is a little far away from home do I dispose of the waste in the roadside trash bin,” says Geetha.

In the process, the Lakshmans are sending out two messages: One, it is the owner’s responsibility to clear the poop left behind by their pet; and two, dog poop can be composted with some additional care.

The newly-inducted committee members of CIT Colony Residents Welfare Association have once again appealed to dog owners in the locality to be more responsible while walking with their pets.

Some months ago, the RWA printed posters about this and pasted them at strategic points and also distributed them to dog walkers, informing them of their duties.

“We especially notice many helpers/ staff hired by dog owners not disposing of the faeces of their pets,” says Ramdas Naik, secretary, CIT Colony Residents Welfare Association.

He says pet owners must train them to clear the animal refuse. “Apart from the pet owners residing in our colony, we have many from other localities walking their dogs and regulating them becomes a bigger challenge,” says Naik.

The RWA is also trying to rope in more residents from the colony to make the place cleaner and greener. Waste Management and commercialisation are two other issues the Association wants to tackle.

“We are trying to get one resident volunteer from each street and at least two from the main roads, so that they can be the points of contact for people living in the street and engage better with them,” says Naik, adding that the Association is spread across five cross streets and two main roads.