If your dog could only talk: ‘I am sorry that I can't poop in the toilet like you or in the litter box like that cat (I really don't know what you see in him besides that). I really want to be with you all the time and welcome wherever we go, but some people don't actually love dogs like you do and worse, don't like seeing my poop bags on the side of the road, in the bushes or in the trees.

‘Remember, I'm a dog, your best friend and I really try to be good.

‘Please, don't let me get blamed for not picking up after myself. (remember, I don't have opposable thumbs)

‘Please, use a poop bag and pick up after me.

‘Please, don't throw the bags in the woods or leave it beside the road. It is littering and I'll get blamed.

‘Please, take the bag home with us or put it in a trash can.

‘All I want is people to love me.’

Well, we all know dogs can't talk but if they could it is fun to think of what they might say.

In spite of all of our efforts to get people to pick up after their dogs, it is still not working, as seen by the photo.

We put out more dog waste stations, changed the color of the bags (so people wouldn't mistake them for biodegradable), appealed to owners’ better nature, handed out pleas with every dog license and still we are finding bags of dog waste on the side of the road.

I have seen all kinds of creative ways to get people to pay attention to this issue. One home owner even tried putting little flags all over his front lawn where a dog walker allowed his dog to make a daily deposit, in the hope that it would shame him into picking up after his dog. It didn't work.

My wife and I are dog owners, actually multiple dog owners, and neither of us would ever think it was ok to leave a bag of dog waste on the side of the road for someone else to pick up. In fact, I have been guilty of getting to work on a cold day, only to find I had a bag still in my pocket that I picked up on our walk.

There is a group of people who want the dog waste stations removed and stiffer penalties for people who don't pick up after their dogs. The police don't want to be writing tickets and I would rather not have them spend their time doing it, to make an example out of a few people, who refuse to do the right thing.

Now, I believe that most of us dog owners are good people and there is but a small number of people who are actually making us all look bad. I am appealing to you to do the right thing. Please pick up after your dog when out on a public road and dispose of it properly. Make your dog proud!

Rick Bates is Rockport’s Town Manager.