I reside down the street from campus, so that means a daily trek to class. It’s been a while since I’ve made it all the way to class without getting barked at, stared at, or generally annoyed by a canine. I appreciate those who put up “Beware of Dog” signs, but they’re usually posted after I’ve had the living daylights scared out of me by a barking pup, or have been chased past the sign by a vicious mutt.

I’m not an morning person, so I usually make my way to class after many dog owners take their pups out for their morning walks. I’m not a fan of playing hopscotch, especially with these new stakes. Instead of getting made fun of for missing your target, you get your shoe print immortalized in what the neighbor’s dog left behind.

On snowy mornings, you can easily tell which territory is yours and which belongs to the dogs; they have graciously staked off their territory with their own yellow mark. What’s worse is when it’s snowed since the dog has made his rounds, so you don’t even know what you’ve stepped in.

The only thing worse than all this is the fact that this stuff never goes away. I can look out at the sidewalk and point out the pile that was left behind before I left Troy for the holidays. I don’t know which will last longer, the piles of snow or the pile of dog mess.

Anyone can think up an easy solution to all of this, and I believe that Troy already has one in the books. Any city with a lick of sense can pass a pooper-scooper law, and Troy already has such a law. It would be nice, though, if it would be enforced.