Spring has sprung in Morgantown, West Virginia and dogs are out enjoying this weather just as much as us humans. In a college town, there is a strong presence of litter and shattered glass. This can cause unsafe conditions for walking dogs around campus.
I spoke with Cheyenne Albright, a dog owner in Morgantown, about her experiences with these issues.
Cheyenne and her dog Beauty on the Rail Trail
“There is always glass outside of off-campus housing where I lived. I couldn’t walk my dog around any dumpsters because there’s always broken glass and trash around there. There is less litter along the rail trail, but I usually carried her until we got down there. There isn’t much green space either. It’s very frustrating, because many people have dogs in Morgantown, yet so many people don’t take preventative measures when it comes to throwing away trash, bottles, etc. Having a dog makes me more aware of what I do with trash and bottles.”
I also spoke with WVU student Stephanie Midurski on her experience as a dog owner in Morgantown.
“I recently adopted my dog Cora. She is a black lab mix, so she needs a lot of exercise. I walk her daily around my apartment, but it is difficult to always watch out for her stepping in glass. We go to Cheat Lake on the weekends where I am more comfortable running around with her. ”
Morgantown does offer green spaces away from campus that are great to take your dog.
- Green = Safest
- Yellow = Safe
- Red = Not Safe
Feel free to add your own place to the map and share your favorite spots to take your dog!
Morgantown is continuing to update and enforce laws regarding litter. (morgantownwv.gov)
If a Morgantown Police Officer or a Litter Prevention Officer finds that you are improperly storing your garbage, trash, or recycling, you can be fined $50-$500 daily per occurrence.
I have personally witnessed Litter Prevention Officers handing out warnings and citations on my street (I may have even received one myself). When you live in a high traffic area, it is almost impossible to keep up with litter. It’s important to remember that it’s not only humans that have to deal with litter around town.
Litter and glass harming our dogs is a serious issue. However, there are some funny things found on the ground around Morgantown. There is even a Twitter that tweets some of the strangest things found.
https://twitter.com/noitwasneverdos/status/845034449729413120
Be sure to check out out Cayla’s post on the responsibility of following leash laws in Morgantown.
Also, if you want to get more involved with dogs and cats in the community, check out WVU PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) club on campus.
conserveww.wordpress.com 
I personally am not a dog owner but I have a lot of friends who are and they do express this struggle. It is so sad to see that people can be so careless when it comes to leaving garbage about especially when it comes to shattered pieces of glass which is even more dangerous. I’m sure that when people do such a thing their main concern doesn’t go straight to dogs but it needs to be something people are aware of! I also really like your use of the map in this post, I will be sure to share it with the dog owners I know!
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This was great! I loved the map, especially that users can add their own points to it. You did a great job of explaining the issues and used a variety of media and quotes. Linking to Cayla’s post is a smart way to continue to drive traffic to your group blog, and adding the link to WVU PAWS at the end made it feel like you are genuinely connected to the issue. Very enjoyable to read!
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Hi, Lindsey!
Great post and a great topic, too! I feel like you automatically draw in so many readers because there are so many dog lovers out there. At the same time, you use this to your advantage to spread the word about a local/community issue. I love how you included the map, especially with the three different colored points indicating the safety levels for dogs around campus. And, the Tweets are an awesome bonus, too! It is always great to hear what others in the community are thinking/saying–it adds a ton more credibility/legitimacy to a blog post.
College students tend to be pretty careless, not only when it comes to littering, but when it comes to pet ownership, too. Dogs are known as man’s best friend for a reason: most people love them. But, I do not believe most college students have the time or maturity to take care of a dog on their own. In fact, to put it plainly, most college students barely take care of themselves. College is a lot of work–and so are dogs! Especially when you take them outdoors, you really have to keep your eyes on them because they can get themselves into trouble so quickly. Not to mention, WVU students are not the best a cleaning up after their dogs, either. My apartment complex even has free plastic bags in various places around the property, and still, so many residents are too lazy and too irresponsible.
At a large party school like WVU, it is so common to see broken class and cans everywhere–in fact, it would almost be weird to *not* see it. But, that is not an excuse to litter. I believe everyone needs to do his/her part in keeping the community clean ad safe, which includes things as simple as hanging on to your trash/recyclables until you get to the nearest receptacle. It is so easy to do, yet so many Morgantown residents fail to do it.
Keep up the great work!
Madalyn
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