NDG residents fed up with ‘dog poo everywhere’ amid spring thaw

Residents in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood are demanding dog owners be more responsible when it comes to picking up after their pets.

“There is dog poo everywhere,” said Caitlan Hanley, who walks a dog of her own Seeker, along Sherbrooke Street. “It’s mind-blowing.”

Springtime weather has begun the annual thaw in Montreal. The milder weather is causing layers of snow to dissolve and revealing residual excrement left behind by pets in NDG.

A janitor of the Robinwood building has taken to posting a sign outside, urging residents to clean up after their pets.

“Please pick up your dog poo, and also would like them to urinate elsewhere because it kills our grass,” the sign reads.

The Robinwood property is private, but NDG residents reported that it’s an issue all over the borough.

“We have a lot of beautiful dogs, but a lot of irresponsible owners,” said Jean-Ricardo André.

Borough Mayor Sue Montgomery told Global News in email she wants residents to pick up after their furry companions.

“I call on all dog owners to be respectful and responsible and clean up after their animals please,” she said. “Once the snow melts, we see there have been a number of scofflaws over the winter.”

The City of Montreal generally launches a cleanup effort to deal with refuse left by the thaw, but it usually doesn’t start until late April.