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# The straight poop about fining pet owners This past week, Q-line asked
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/the-straight-poop-about-fining-pet-owners-this-past-week-q-line-asked/
- Published: 2004-01-23T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:39:14.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Sunset Park, #archive-import

“What can be done about the poop problem here? If pet owners aren’t going to pick it up how should City Hall deal with it?”

Here are your responses: ■ “I think its ludicrous to even consider City Hall doing anything about dog poop in the city of Santa Monica. The City Council isn’t interested in anything outside of their own agenda. I pick up after my own dog and it’s up to other responsible dog owners to report on those who don’t. But don’t bother relying on the City Council to do a thing.” ■ “People who have pets should carry newspapers with them or bags. The minute that dog stops to poop they should just place the paper beneath the animal and throw that away. If they are not doing this, why don’t they implement a pet tax so the city can hire people to pick it up?” ■ “Pet owners should be fined at least $500, not $50, for not picking up after their pets on city sidewalks and other people’s lawns. This is an incentive to definitely take care of this little problem. When the word gets out that the fine is $500, they will be picking up after these dogs.” ■ “Number one, these crap monsters that are owned by people that refuse to pick up after them should be severely taxed. We need to spend this money on jobs for crap monster picker-uppers. This is significantly bad in the Ocean Park area. I have heard stories of dog crap being thrown at homeowners when they complained to dog owners. It’s disgusting.” ■ “I am so sick of picking up dog poop in my yard and I know my neighbors are too. The problem is that these jerks walk their dogs very early or very late to avoid being caught. Dogs even poop on the sidewalk. I am surprised that with all the money to be made, the city doesn’t have anyone like meter maids walking around ticketing people, including people who relieve themselves in public. They would have to work around the clock, but they would absolutely make a fortune. Eventually, there will be a new term, “yard rage,” when someone catches one of these people and takes the matter into their own hands.” ■ “Dog poop is a huge problem on Main Street, the beaches and even downtown. A good solution to this is a requirement that all licensed dog owners purchase bags from the city. They won’t want to waste their own money.” ■ “Any owner of an animal has a responsibility to take care of it properly. Animal lovers should band together as a co-op and find their own property for these animals to relieve themselves. This way the rest of the community isn’t forced to bask in the joy of their presence.” ■ “To deal with the messy dogs, we should catch the owners and put them to sleep.” ■ “Unfortunately, our City Hall is not going to do anything about poop problems. They never do anything about much that would be beneficial. I see lots of poop all over Sunset Park. When they do pick it up, they put the poop in any old trash can. Then, even if you don’t have a dog, you end up with a trash can that stinks of poop. It just isn’t fair.” ■ “I don’t live North of Wilshire. I live in the Sunset Park area. We deal with it by saying, “Hey, pick that up!” It works over here. I don’t think that City Hall is going to do anything and it’s not that big a deal. There is a lot more to worry about in life than dog poop. If that’s all you are concerned about, lucky you!” ■ “The fecal problem isn’t just for dogs here in Santa Monica. The city seems very eager to get as much money as they possibly can from any feed. They just want to spend, spend, spend. I propose a fecal fee. Any pet owner has to pay this to keep a pet and can be fined by enforcement as well if caught not cleaning up poop.” ■ “With all the critical issues going on, you chose dog poop to waste precious print space? True, City Hall is deep in it, but you want them to get deeper? I would have loved it if you had touched upon the fluoridation of our water. This is a major issue and you never even mentioned it. I’m scratching my head.” ■ “The city should provide bags all over the city. You never know when your dog is going to go. The owners should be fined and they need to really enforce the leash law. All the poop that gets picked up in the city should be delivered to the City Council, because that’s what they’re full of and that’s what they’ve done to this city.” ■ “Whatever is done about the dog poop should also be done about the human poop. These are both serious health risks and I hope if they come down on the dogs, they come down on the people too.” ■ “I don’t like the idea of the City Council being responsible for anything. I also don’t like hearing about all these irresponsible pet owners. I always pick up after my dog. It is not pleasant, but it is part of living in a community. I am scared about implementing any type of tax or fine. I think it will force people to look outside of their neighborhood shelters and rescues to adopt animals that need homes. I don’t know what can be done outside of getting these people’s attention and embarrassing them so they pick up the poop.” ■ “I think City Hall has enough issues to deal with and dog poop should not be one of them. I think we can solve this one on our own. Whether it be speaking up to these offending dog owners, post signs where appropriate, or keep a shovel handy. We all need to step up to the plate.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 23, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012304.pdf?ref=smdp.com)