DC loves our dogs, and active dog owners help build strong communities. You are a key part of keeping DC clean, safe, and healthy!
Under District law, all dog walkers are required to pick up their dogs' poop unless it is a registered seeing eye dog. Not only is it messy, pet waste can carry diseases and parasites and release pollutants into our waterways, making it dangerous for people, pets, and our environment. It's not fertilizer and it doesn't just go away!
Tips for pet owners:
- Keep your yard clean by picking up poop every day. Throw your pet's waste in the trash or flush it down the toilet.
- Carry disposable plastic bags with you on walks, and bring extras just in case. They don't have to be fancy; old produce, bread, or newspaper bags work just as well.
- Place bagged waste in your own trash can or a public litter can. It's illegal and not neighborly to use another resident's can.
- Never throw or leave bags of poop on the ground or in a storm drain.
- Set a good example to other dog owners. Carry extra bags and offer them to another dog owner who needs one.
Thanks to a partnership with Humane Rescue Alliance and support from Mars Petcare, Mayor Bowser has installed pet waste bag dispensers at strategic locations around the District! Find them at the following locations:
- Park @ LeDroit (286 V Street NW)
- Columbia Heights Community Center (1480 Girard Street NW)
- 1400 S Street NW
- Turtle Park (4500 Van Ness Street NW)
- Larry Allen Memorial Triangle Park (Illinois Avenue and 9th Street & Ingraham Streets NW)
- Edgewood (Franklin St and Lincoln Rd and 4th Street NE)
- Brentwood (2311 14th Street NE)
- Trinidad Recreation Center (1310 Childress Street NE)
- Rosedale Recreation Center (1701 Gales Street NE)
- River Terrace (Kenilworth Avenue and Baker Street NE)
- Benning Stoddert Recreation Center (100 Stoddert Place SE)
- Fletcher Johnson Recreation Center (4650 Benning Road SE)
- Maya Angelou Public Charter School (5600 East Capitol Street NE)
- Marvin Gaye Park/Watts Branch Recreation Center (6201 Banks Place NE)
- Anacostia/Fairlawn (16th Street and Minnesota Ave SE)
- Fort Stanton Recreation Center (1812 Erie Street SE)
- Bellevue (4201 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SW)
- Belmont Crossing (7th & Chesapeake Street SE)
Thank you to our dedicated community members for volunteering to keep them stocked and ready to use. If you have questions or need to report a maintenance issue, please email [email protected].
Remember, Pride Is Picking Up!
Resident Concerns
To report issues of unscooped poop, please contact 311 via phone, app, web, text, or Twitter. These reports help us monitor behavior and identify the appropriate response.
(To report cases of potential animal neglect, cruelty, or abuse, call 202-723-5730.)
The District does not post signs by request, but residents may place small signs in their tree box or yard to remind neighbors to pick up. You can purchase one, make your own, or download one below.
