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Snow Doesn't Freeze Local Pooper-Scooper Laws

February 13, 2010
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Mark Burnett of Doody Calls in Fairfax, VA urges pet owners to scoop the poop off the snow.
Rebecca Sheir
Mark Burnett of Doody Calls in Fairfax, VA urges pet owners to scoop the poop off the snow.

By Rebecca Sheir

With all the snow around, dog walkers might not make it a priority to scoop their pooches' poop. And they could be breaking the law.

Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Virginia are just two local jurisdictions with so-called "pooper-scooper laws," which require owners to pick up after their dogs.

Mark Burnett works for the pet-waste-removal service, Doody Calls. As he explains during a 'doody' run in Vienna, Fairfax County also directs owners on how to dispose of doggie doo.

"All pet waste has to be double-bagged," he says. "And they want it to be a dark-colored bag. It has to be knot-tied, and that's knot-tied as in k-n-o-t."

If they don't they face a $25 to $200 fine.

And bad weather is no excuse. The laws stay in place even if its raining cats and dogs or, in this case, snowing them.

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