Few issues in The Villages divide residents as much as dogs.
Those who have dogs couldn’t imagine life without them. Those who put up with the messes left behind by careless dog owners are understandably frustrated.
The Villages District Office offers this guidances to dog owners:
“Please be considerate of others and all properties. Dog owners are responsible for picking up after their pets. Please take all waste home for disposal. Do not use storm drains, postal or recreation facilities for disposing of solid waste or plastic bags. In addition, please follow all county ordinances including all dogs are required to be on a leash.”
The notice addresses several longstanding and long-simmering issues in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown:
• Many residents are fed up with Villagers using postal stations as restrooms for their dogs. There are dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets and others who leave smelly poop bags behind in the trash cans at the postal stations.
• There are some dog owners who simply toss their pets’ poop bags down the storm drains. The problem with that is the poop bags are soon spotted floating in nearby retention basins.
• Obeying the leash law is important. While it is not a “Villages requirement,” the counties have ordinances requiring that dog owners keep their pets on a leash.
