Editor, The News:
Recently, my daughter’s team played a scheduled soccer game at Albion sports fields, No. 2 for soccer.
As a precautionary detail, my husband and I did a field search for dog turds. We hadn’t even finished our grid search and we lost count at 20.
It is unacceptable that our children have to play soccer on a field that is in this condition.
Upon notifying our soccer club of our concerns, I was told that they had been passed on to the parks department.
After speaking with the parks supervisor, I was told to voice my concerns to the SPCA because it is contracted by the city to enforce the bylaws dealing with dogs (off leash and turds).
After speaking with the SPCA, I was told that the way that the animal control officers are able to enforce off-leash and dog-turd bylaws is if a complaint is phoned in, then they will investigate.
There are only two animal control officers in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows and they do not regularly drive by and supervise all the parks and fields of our city.
The city has contracted out the overseeing and handling of the off-leash and dog-poo bylaws to the SPCA and the idea of this is ludicrous.
In regards to dog turds, I have found no answer as to who oversees the acceptability of our field conditions. My concerns of the amount of dog doo-doo on our sports field and a solution to this problem has led me to a dead end.
It should be the bylaws officers, not the SPCA doing their rounds at our local parks and fields.
It should be that the parks department should be in charge of making sure that the sports fields are in acceptable condition for our children to play on.
It should be that certain dog owners should just pick up their dog’s business. (You know who you are.)
If you or your kids have stepped in it after a trip to the park or sports field, phone in a complaint to the city bylaws department and make a stink.
Changes are needed.
Charlene Fiehn
Maple Ridge
