They are cute. They are domesticated. And every once in a while one might get you your morning newspaper.
But they poo.
Of course, the animals in question, are dogs.
If you have recently taken a walk along the Millennium Trail on a mild day, you likely picked up the scent of an ongoing problem: unscooped poop. In fact, some sections of the trail are downright malodorous.
As part of the Canadian Kennel Club’s first ever National Responsible Dog Ownership Week, September 21-27, the Yukon Kennel Club took on the stinky situation by hosting a “community poop scoop.”
About 25 dog enthusiasts, accompanied by their furry quadrupeds, met at the SS Klondike Sunday afternoon to walk the Millennium Trail, picking up and properly disposing of droppings others left behind.
“It’s happening right across Canada and the United States,” said Donna Dymackova, president of the Yukon Kennel Club, speaking of the bow-wow week.
“It’s founded by the Canadian Kennel Club, and the American Kennel Club got right on board. All week long there will be activities, and today’s activity is that the Yukon Kennel Club is out and we’re scooping the poop on the Millennium Trail.”
The week is meant to promote responsible dog ownership and to celebrate the animal-human bond. The community-poop scoop served two purposes: to clean and to set an example for others.
“We hope to scoop everything that’s there,” said Dymackova, before the walk. “And hopefully teach the community to ‘Please, scoop your poop.’”
The club was hoping to host other events during the week, such as agility demonstrations, but various circumstances prevented them from taking place.
“It seems the weather is so cold and because everybody in the dog club seems to work during the daytime, I asked them if we’re will to put something on,” explained Dymackova. “But even our regular class that we have Thursday night, were all saying, ‘We’re moving indoors next week,’ so they’d rather wait until we move indoors.”
The Yukon Kennel Club is an organization made up from knowledgeable canine enthusiasts who provide education to dog owners to better equip them for the responsibilities of bringing a dog into the home.
On October 18 and 19, the club will be hosting a Rally of Obedience at Yukon College. The rally will feature training workshops and other activities that both master and pup can enjoy.
For more information, visit the Yukon Kennel Club’s website at www.yukonkennelclub.com.