Drop Zone Watch: Day 6

Image taken Monday, June 26, 2006; 5:00 PM.

I’m sick of crappy photos.

I’m referring to the subject matter, not the quality of the final image. Years ago when I first moved to Plattsburgh, I had to learn quickly to watch my step, especially at night. While growing up in the countryside, I never encountered as much animal feces as I did in this so-called city.

I never expected the city to be completely clean 24/7. But you know there’s a problem when a local person was recently quoted in the newspaper that he found New York City to be freer of dogshit than Plattsburgh.

I thought I would be wrapping up this Drop Zone Watch series with a final shot of the rain washing away the crap. Instead, to my disgust, I found some fresh bowwow brownies.

Apparently the same dog –- or maybe another one –- thinks the spot I have been photographing is set aside for defecating. After all, it’s typical animal behavior. If no one picks up a mess, then the dog must assume it’s OK to crap again on top of the original packages.

It’s just like litter. If a person walks down a street strewn with bits of trash, why should he be motivated to throw his candy bar wrapper in a can? If no one else cares, why should he?

What I call the drop zone should be cleaned up, maybe with some bleach diluted in a bucket of water. No, I don’t expect the sidewalk to be disinfected to the point one could eat off it. But the bleach smell would probably discourage more dogs from shitting in the same spot.

But, nature, not human intervention, will wash away the dogshit during the next few days of rain.

Is that why Plattsburgh residents pay taxes? To let nature, in the forms of rain and wind, keep the city clean?

Higher taxes. Less service.

Aren’t you tired of the crap?