Letter to the Editor: Dog waste and other litter disrespects our community

August 24, 2022

Dear Manchester Friends and Neighbors,

Village President Pat Vailliencourt recently emailed the Parks Commission a picture of dog waste on the sidewalk in front of a storefront taken the morning of August 18 prior to the 3rd Thursday celebration downtown. Of course, this was disheartening. I can’t be sure, but I think the intent in sending it to us was to show that there are irresponsible dog owners in Manchester as many Parks Commissioners have been advocating for a dog park in the Village of Manchester for years.

The main opponents of the dog park cite concerns over dog waste cleanup, among other things, but that is another discussion for another day. Proponents of the dog park feel these concerns are unjustified and are doing our best to convince the Village Council otherwise. We feel the benefits far outweigh the negatives of a few bad actors.

The Parks Commission has been attempting to address the issue and concerns over dog-waste pick-up by placing more waste receptacles and dog waste–bag stations throughout the Village. You may have noticed them — they are located along the shared-use trail and at each of our parks. These dog-waste bags have been purchased for your use — so if you find yourself without a bag (we’ve all been there!), please feel free to take one and use it! 

I (Kindra) live in town and will occasionally find dog waste (that is not my dog’s) and garbage/trash in my yard, along my walks through town, or in our parks. I get bummed out about this because I take pride in our town and I don’t like to see it disrespected. As a nature lover, littering really disappoints me.

Instead of letting it get me angry or bitter, I have decided to set a good example and just pick it up. If I have an extra bag, I will pick up that stray dog waste. If I see trash, I pick it up. Hopefully, others will catch on and do it, too. And there’s no harm in calling someone out if you see them littering or leaving dog feces behind! We all have a collective responsibility to keep our downtown’s shared spaces clean. 

I’d like to think that the waste on the sidewalk in that picture was someone caught without a bag, in a hurry on their way to work, or they had good intentions to go back and get it but simply forgot. Let’s give folks grace and be the change we want to see in Manchester. Please clean up after ourselves and our dogs. No one likes stepping in dog waste. I think we can all agree that it ruins your day!

The Parks Commission would like to send a special thanks to the DPW for cleaning up this dog waste for all of us and keeping our downtown beautiful. Please take a moment the next time you are out walking and pick up that piece of trash. And extra bonus points to anyone willing to pick up extra dog waste. Thank you! Your kind act won’t go unnoticed!

Village of Manchester Parks Commissioners: Kindra Weid, Ruth Raleigh, and Stephanie Smith

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.