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All about the Edgewood Neighborhood of Washington, DC

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Monday, March 29, 2010

Ahhh...Chicken Bone Season is Here


I would like to create a public service campaign on the danger of throwing your chicken bones on the ground outside. For one thing they attract rats and other pests to the areas you throw them - sometimes right in front of your own home. But the reason that I hate them and detest those who thoughtless discard them in our neighborhood is because of my dogs. Dogs love nothing more then the smell of meat and a bone - but these cooked bones can splinter and tear up the insides of the dog causing death or if you're lucky a very expensive surgery. That is why I spend most of my dog walking this time of year saying "drop it" or "leave it" and if they get one before I can respond I then get to stick my hand in their mouth and remove it.


So, even if you don't care about your neighbors or neighbors' dogs maybe you might care about attracting rats and other vermin to your house.

9 comments:

  1. COMPLETELY AGREE. My Beagle is constantly finding these things, and so far I've been lucky. Do people actually just walk around eating chicken? It seems like that, but I've never actually seen it happen. And the dog has found these bones when we lived out in the burbs as well as in the city.

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  2. Totally with you. They are all over Logan Circle (we're too close to the Popeye's on 14th). Can we ask the city if we can post signs about the danger of chicken bones?

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  3. I wonder about where the chicken bones come from too - I've never seen people walking down the street chewing on a wing, and yet my dog has no problem sniffing them out nearly daily. I definitely empathize!

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  4. I actually saw someone finish chewing a wing and drop it at the bus stop. It was disturbing to say the least. While I'm not a dog owner, I did some damage to my knee when I slipped on a chicken bone outside of the Home Depot.

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  5. Amen. It's such a thoughtless and rude thing to do. I live behind Barracks Row and my dog often finds chicken wings on 7th street (usually in the same general area!). Coincidentally, there is a Popeyes on 8th street.

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  6. Geez, the DC area needed a PSA for this forever ago! My two dogs are always finding bones (we're in Crystal City)- and I even printed out a flyer and taped it to the poop trashcan where they were throwing them (and 99% of the time missing the can) trying to let people know that it is so unsafe for dogs. I think the problem is that people think that since it is chicken bones that it is just like any other food waste and will just magically disappear in two weeks. I wish there were an easy solution to this, because it seems picking up after yourself is just too hard lately.

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  7. I had not made the Popeyes connection - there is one nearby here too. We also have two corner markets that sell them as well. I wonder if we created a flyer and asked these retailers if we could place it near their exits if it would have any impact? I don't think putting flyers all over would help just add to the cities trash problem.

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  8. This is a big problem up in Brightwood as well.

    I've been trying to think up a good way to get the word out to neighborhood residents that throwing chicken bones all over the place isn't a good practice, but it's tough, especially since a lot of people in the neighborhood are elderly and I'm sure they've been doing this most of their lives...it's hard to teach an old person new tricks.

    Can you let me know if you institute your flyers-in-the-chicken-retailers plan, and if you feel like it has any impact? I'll be sure to share any success stories with you as well!

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  9. I thought I was the only one who had this problem! Of course, I also have an ornery 17-year old dog who would sooner eat my hand than drop the chicken bone, so I figure at this point he can at least die happy. I thought it was just this neighborhood, and it was one reason I was kinda looking forward to moving. Now I'm a little disappointed that I probably won't leave this behind.

    And yes, I have seen people eating chicken while walking and discarding the bones behind them. Usually not Popeye's, at least not up at RIA and Franklin. Looks more like the corner market variety.

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