Residents send message: Doggie, don't

But there's something else dotting the sides of the roads in the neighborhood that has residents upset and looking for a solution.

Members of the Coronado Foothills Homeowners Association recently launched a campaign to encourage dog owners to clean up the waste left by their pets.

The problem has been ongoing, but neighborhood leaders made it a priority earlier this month after two residents complained at a board meeting, said Diane Weintraub, president of the association.

"It just started out with two people who were disgusted," Weintraub said. "They came to the board meeting and asked what we could do."

The homeowners association will dedicate its March newsletter to the issue, highlighting the health risks associated with dog feces and the Pima County ordinance that covers dog waste removal.

The two residents also wrote a letter that will be published in the newsletter.

The newsletter gives the locations of "Doggie-do" dispensers in the neighborhood, with plastic bags for people to use for the animal waste, Weintraub said.

The homeowners association placed on its Web site a link to the Pima County ordinances that deal with animal noise and waste complaints.

After the February meeting, some residents went out into the community to examine the problem on their own.

Susan Guerrero, communications director for the homeowners association, made a CD with photos of dog feces that she and her husband saw during a recent walk through the neighborhood, she said.

"I said to my husband, 'Why don't we go for a walk and take some pictures'," Guerrero said. "He took about 100 pictures of dog poop."

The presence of the dog feces has led to disagreements between neighbors, Weintraub said.

"Some neighbors get angry because people let their dogs run down the street and poop everywhere," Weintraub said. "It's annoying."

Residents can report violations of the Pima County ordinance to the Pima Animal Care Center. The ordinance says it is unlawful for a dog owner not to dispose of waste immediately.

The city of Tucson also has an ordinance that addresses animal waste.

Once a complaint is registered, letters are sent to the complainant and the animal's owner, said Gerardo Sanchez, enforcement operations supervisor at the Pima Animal Care Center.

Then the complainant has to return a form to the center before an animal field care officer is sent to the scene of the violation, Sanchez said.

If the problem has been corrected, the officer closes the case, he said. "It's like the Police Department going to inspect a scene and making a decision."

If the violator does not clean up the area, there is one more chance to correct the problem before a citation is issued, he said.

The violations are not always addressed immediately because they are put on a priority list, Sanchez said.

"The difficulty is trying to get to them, because we have a huge call load," Sanchez said. "If an animal is loose and chasing children, it is more of a priority."

It can take up to several weeks for an officer to come out, Sanchez said. Then it can be difficult to get some violators to take the complaints seriously. "It is a big deal," he said.

Most of the time, though, a violator will clean up the area once the letter is received, and an officer will not have to conduct an inspection, he said.

Weintraub said the newsletter will reach about 450 homes.

"I'm hoping awareness will make people think a little bit," she said. "It's just ugly and dirty."

foothills

"I'm hoping awareness will make people think a little bit. It's just ugly and dirty."

Diane Weintraub

President of the Coronado Foothills Homeowners Association