Dogs of Skiers Leaving Unhappy Trials

Dogs of Skiers Leaving Unhappy Trials

source: Associated Press Strange News

Here’s some advice for skiers near the Sawtooth National Recreational Area: Clean up your dog’s act.

The usually pristine ski trails north of Ketchum are noticeably less so this year as a growing number of skiers bring along their pups, leaving their droppings along the way.

Courtesy Ski Patroller Cindy Hamlin nose knows. She picks up as many as 40 piles a day on a 4-mile section of the trail near the Sawtooth headquarters.

To keep the trails from turning into minefields, Blaine County Recreation District Trail Coordinator Shelley Preston has erected signs reminding skiers that county code requires dog owners to remove their pets’ waste or face a $300 fine.

Problem is, said Preston, some people have been filling the bags and then leaving them alongside the trails, as if they expect a garbage man to collect them.

“This year is the worst year we’ve ever had. We’ve gone through twice as many Pet Pick-Up bags as we did last year and we still have more dog waste along the trail,” said Preston, who estimated 3,500 bags have been handed out so far.

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