As you know, Sampson, Delilah and I have a pretty sweet area for walking.
I’ve also seen cross-country skiers and non-motorized bike riders. It’s a perfect area for these types of activities.
It also has another appeal though, one that’s not quite as nice.
The local kids like to go up there and drink, smoke pot, build bonfires, have sex, experiment with explosives, etc.
I get it. I was after all a kid once myself.
What I don’t get is why they leave evidence of their debauchery and why they have to leave things lying about that can hurt others.
I’m speaking specifically of food, broken glass and empty containers.
Really? If you’re that freaked out about what your parents will say when they found out you stole a bottle of Captain Morgan from them, then take the bottle and stick it in your neighbor’s recycling bin. Stick it in your backpack, and throw it in a public place. Hell, I really wouldn’t even mind if you left the empty bottle in the woods, just please, please don’t smash it on the rocks!
Not only can this cause harm to domestic animals but think about the wildlife. Death from swallowing glass is a horrible way for ANYONE to die.
I bring all this up to set the scene for our current story.
The lovely kids in my neighborhood broke at least 10 bottles on a ridge of rocks up in our woods. Not just dropped and broke, SMASHED.
Way more glass than I could show in the picture.
The falling leaves are covering the glass and this has me concerned, not just for my dogs, but for other dogs whose owners let them run rampant and for the wildlife as well.
Since the days are shorter now, it’s harder to get out into the woods after work, the days that I do, I’ve forgotten to bring something for clean up.
I got home a bit early on Thursday and hurried the dogs out for a romp. I remembered my small broom and dustpan as well as a paper bag to place the glass in.
We went up through the field and into the woods where I knew the glass was. Delilah was on the 15 foot leash and I secured her to a tree while I started sweeping and picking up the glass.
There was much more than I had remembered so after about 5 minutes or so I thought this isn’t fair to the dogs, they came up here to walk. I left the bag on the rock, unhooked Delilah and off we went.
I’ve been working Delilah really hard on her recall, so I let her off leash. Except for a brief moment when I thought I’d lost her, she did amazingly well.
We headed back to the rock so I could pick up the bag and then I realized how much more glass was there.
We’d been in the woods about 20 to 25 minutes and hadn’t run into anyone, visibility was good because of all the leaves that have fallen and I was feeling a bit cocky (or pissy, considering I was picking up someone else’s mess) I said, screw it, leave her off leash and let her have Carte Blanche.
I fully expected her to run off helter skelter.
Instead, I spent the next 10 minutes or so, picking/sweeping up glass, and yelling at Delilah to ‘Get Off The Rock!’
I’m actually considering this photo for the calendar contest (minus the bag of course.)
Neither one of the dogs took advantage of my lapse in judgement, in fact how you see them in the photo is exactly how they stayed. 🙂
I picked up almost a full bag of glass.
It’s hard to pick/sweep up glass when it’s covered in leaves.
Yesterday I called the Parks and Recreation Department and had a really nice chat with the woman who answered the phone. I’m not really sure there’s anything they can do about the kids going up after dark, but at least my concern was heard.
Delilah really surprised me when she didn’t take advantage of her freedom opportunity, have your dog’s ever surprised you by not taking advantage of a naughty opportunity?
I’m on the same page as you with this one Jodi…drives me nuts when people do stupid things like this. Fortunately, I don’t have this problem here on the ranch. When we lived in Hawaii it was horrible. People (most of the time it was locals)would haul their beer bottles out to this remote area and proceed to drink and then break all the bottles on the rocks. UGH!! Guess the only positive thing about that was the sea glass that would show up in time. Just wish people would respect the world around them.
About your kidz staying near while you picked up the rubbish….I find that my girlz (more often than not)wanting to stay near me and not venture off. Guess all those games of hide and seek have worked 🙂
It bothers me that kids these days so not respect anything. I think that is the difference from when I was a kid. We did not go around trashing things or places. But then again I guess if kids are engaging in risky behavior, leaving broken glass laying around that could hurt someone is to be expected.
Good girl Delilah for sticking close. I am sure she was curious about what you were up to…lol.
You are a good person – thank you! We do the same thing. I’ve come back from rides in the desert with my saddle bags full of the grossest things. My husband doesn’t understand why I do it, but I just can’t leave it out there.
Monty lately has been surprising us. You can tell that whatever has happened in the past with him didn’t involve a lot of direction. We think he is finally maturing.
Sam
It is sad how many kids today show no respect for not only their elders and others but the planet. What is surprising is some of these kids will probably be the ones to end up being green peacer’s and save the planet, etc or they will end up in prison. Honestly I firmly believe respect starts at home and some kids either don’t get that or are allowed to get away with disrespect.
Woohoo Delilah you are the GIRL!!
Yes my guys have surprised me on rare occasion…lol
Hey Sampson, Hey Delilah, Jetty here. Hi Miss Jodi.
Miss Jodi, you are my HERO! I, Jetty, the dog park loving K9, had just such an injury. Our small dogpark is often covered in broken glass from humans entering illegally, after hours and doing naughty thingies. The parks department is severely underfunded and understaffed, so, they do their best. (I hope those humans step in a pile of unscooped poop! Did I just write that???)
A visit to Dr. Schaffer, $350, cone of shame, big, bleeding ouchie on my paw made Mom decide not to bring me back to the park ever since. 🙁
Also, Mom grew up near a nature preserve. The teens (of which she was one at some point she told me), well actually the “teens who did the stuff you mentioned above” created the same havoc. Mom (a high school senior at the time) decided to ask her Aunt if she could bring her beautiful Golden, Brandy, to the Reservation. Aunt said yes, Mom did and then had to watch every leaf on the ground because there was so much glass. Mom ended up bringing Brandy right back home and took her for a walk on the street instead.
That sucks. There are so many kids that don’t think about the consequences of their “fun”. It was so nice of you to try to clean it up, probably saving some poor unsuspecting animal from injury – and look at those perfectly behaved dogs!! Great picture of them! 🙂
This is typical. We read so much about what good stewards of the earth this young generation is, but after every local Earth Day they leave enough garbage for others to pick up to fill many containers.
You are a good person, Jodi, to clean the area so that others aren’t harmed.
I agree 100%! Maybe they could post a sign or something letting the hooligans kids know that animals are walking in the area they are smashing bottles.
Our small patch of woods is full of broken glass, stolen car parts, peoples garbage, old clothes, and there is even a part of a boat buried in there….much more than my peoples could ever remove on our walks. My peoples wrote to the town when they first moved in, and a crew came and picked up like two things and that was the extent of their clean up. It sucks. It’s not just kids doing it either, although they are mostly responsible for the glass…
P.S. Delilah – you are slacking off on your troublesome dog responsibilities! Are you feeling okay?
Yay, Jodi! You’re my hero too.
We carry bags with us in the kayaks so we can pick up floating debris, especially fish hooks. But even I wouldn’t think of bringing a dust bin and brush on a walk.
Twenty years from now, at least half of those teenagers will be griping about the kids in their neighborhood just like we do now.
Sounds like Delilah is becoming a proper young lady. Congratulations to you both.
Nice job, Jodi AND Delilah!