Of dogs and citizenry

It entailed just a brief discussion at a council meeting, but it spoke volumes about what it means to be a neighbor and citizen.

Being both a neighbor and a citizen carry responsibilities.

The brief discussion at the council meeting was about people who walk their dogs, but fail to clean up after them.

I received a call about a week ago from a resident of East Eighth Street telling me that a woman in the neighborhood had spent the better part of the day cleaning all the dog doo out of the East Eighth Street Island, or circle as it is called by residents of the area.

Now there is a woman who embodies the very best in a neighbor and citizen. You can only imagine how much dog would accumulate over the winter.

I wish I knew the woman’s name. I would like to thank her.

I would also like to tell all those people who don’t clean up after their pets that I consider them rude and inconsiderate. Fundamentally they fail their responsibilities as both a neighbor and citizen.

That might sound harsh, but it’s the truth.

When I brought the subject up, City Manager Tom Rockovich noted that earlier in the day he and Public Works Director Butch Truitt had a talk about that same issue.

Signs will be installed on the island reminding people to clean up after their pets. Of course, individuals can also be cited and fined for failing to do so.

Some of you might think this a trivial rant, but if we want to improve Oil City we need to take responsibility for the little things as well as the big things, and we need to be good neighbors, which makes us good citizens.

And good neighbors and good citizens don’t leave behind a mess for others, and we should remind people of that who do leave messes behind.