Newport May Have Answer to Dog Mess: It’s in the Bag

A plan to help dog owners do their duty after dogs do theirs will go before the Newport Beach City Council Monday night.

The plan calls for installation of “doggie walk bag” dispensers at up to 15 locations around the city, general services director Dave Niederhaus said.

“Primarily you’re going to see these in the areas where the people walk their dogs: the sandy areas, the parks where people don’t want their children running through that,” he said. “The problem was crucial on Balboa Island. There’s only so many places you can walk there.”

Three neighborhoods--Balboa Island, Little Balboa Island and Newport Island--have had the dispensers for about six months with successful reduction in the problem.

Irvine resident Chris Crosson came up with the idea for pole-mounted dispensers after a bad experience.

“I think he stepped in a dog nuisance one day on Balboa Island and I think he saw the circumference of the problem,” Niederhaus said. “This is just a little hobby invention of his.”

He also recruited sponsor businesses that will pay for the installation and bag supplies, most in exchange for sponsorship credit posted beside the dispenser.

The city’s anti-nuisance ordinance makes dog owners liable for fines if they are not armed with cleanup apparatus while walking their dogs in public places, but some areas have persistent problems, Niederhaus said.

City Council members have been reluctant in the past to allow sponsorship signs, fearing it would create the appearance of a product endorsement, so Niederhaus is seeking approval before ordering the installations.