BOISE - The city of Boise says the message just isn't getting across.

Too many dog owners continue breaking leash and littering laws. Now city leaders are taking the tough approach - making owners pay up if they're caught.

"Any of the dogs that are off the leash - if see people that aren't picking up their poop (we'll give them a ticket)," said Tammara Yourdan, animal care and control officer with the Idaho Humane Society. "It's a huge problem."

Yourdan and her partner, Lindsay Gibson, have just started working for the past month in Boise - patrolling area trails. They've written almost 20 tickets so far and have served countless warnings. The fine is $25 plus $40 in court costs.

The city says these poop and off lease patrols are an educational tool - costing about $60,000 per year. It's only a small percentage of outdoor enthusiasts which don't follow the rules, the city says.

"I think people in this city are pretty dog friendly - I think in general people do a pretty good job in keeping their pets under control," said Steven, a local dog owner.

Yourdan and Gibson were recently at the Military Reserve Park patrolling area trails. And it doesn't take long to find piles of dog waste left behind by dog owners.

"Here's a pile, there's a pile and another pile right there," Gibson said.

But there are signs that the patrols might be working.

"People don't want citations," Gibson said.

The officers say enforcing the rules isn't always fun, but keeping parks and trails safe for everyone including the dogs is what it's all about.

"This is privilege to use this park for everybody," Yourdan said. "and we don't want to take it away."


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