At issue is a concern that requiring walkers to pick up their dog waste will lead to them use municipal waste cans to dispose of it. Village officials have expressed concern over DPW workers exposure to loose feces when emptying municipal cans and the risk of the cans becoming too malodorous

One consideration is requiring dog walkers to pick up the waste and dispose of it in sealed bags.“People would have to supply the bags and seal them,” Boehme said.

What’s not at issue is that Chatham has a dog waste problem.

“I’ve heard a lot of complaints—a lot,” said Donna Oakes, co-president of the Chatham Business Alliance. However, she added that she hasn’t personally seen an excess of waste outside her Main Street shop, Cow Jones Industrials. “But I don’t have a tree outside my store,” Oakes added.

Boehme said the number of dog walkers who pick up their dog’s waste is “very low. Most people just leave it on the street.”

While Chatham has never had a “pooper scooper” law on the books, many other municipalities, including the City of Hudson and Village of Philmont, do. However, enforcement varies from municipality to municipality.

In Philmont, a village official said a violation of the pooper scooper law results in a $25 fine, with multiple violations bringing higher fines. However, that law does not discuss how the waste is to be disposed of.

In Hudson, not only is it unlawful to fail to pick up after your dog, it is also unlawful to walk a dog without having with you a suitable means for picking up the poop. While some Hudson dog walkers may be seen carrying elaborate “pooper scoopers” which allow them to pick up the waste without bending over, most rely on a supply of recycled plastic grocery bags, which they knot at the top before tossing them into municipal trash receptacles. Failing to pick up after your dog or failing to have the means to do so both carry a potential fine of $50 in Hudson.