Cleaning Litter

The dogs were out for a walk the other day when they saw an elderly man and woman carrying plastic bags with trash. They watched the couple with a certain curiosity. The man and woman were taking a walk and at the same time cleaning trash from the neighborhood. They had never seen people picking up rubbish unless it was their dog's. Then this morning I read them an article about citizens in Detroit who had taken it upon themselves to mow lawns of vacant properties, chop down unsightly weeds in empty lots and clean alleyways of trash.

Bosco and Riley asked me why I don't pick up trash when I walk them. I confessed to a certain amount of embarrassment at picking up other people's trash. Besides we pay the city to hire people to pick up the trash that's on the ground. Then I got to thinking. Wouldn't it be nice if more people depended on themselves to do the right thing? Bosco and Riley looked away from me sheepishly. I heard Bosco mumble something to Riley about hoping that I don't get some ideas about dogs doing some kind of cleaning up. They both got up and, as unobtrusively as possible, slinked out of the room.