I have lived in urban areas most of my life and lived in apartments and small bungalows that have had postage stamp size backyards or no yards at all. I have had as many as 3 dogs living with me and walked them several times a day and made sure I have cleaned up their poop on our walks.

Living in a suburb of a large midwest city, our neighborhood, like many have children and dogs. Like many families, kids earn allowances by doing chores. And many times the parents have to monitor the chores to make sure they are done completely, such as rinsing the dishes of food before they put them in the dishwasher.

This morning, I hear my Mom banging on the window and asked what was going on. She was banging on the window to let a teenager, who was walking his large dog, know that she saw the dog take a poop on our lawn and that the teenager did not pick up the poop with the plastic trash bags he was carrying. My Mom startled the teen and he went back to where his dog did its business and removed the poop from our front lawn.

So I am asking parents of kids who walk the family dog(s) to please, occasionally check your trash cans for the poop bags to ensure your child is earning their allowance by “bringing home the bacon”.