Photos: Bad behavior in city parks

By Diane Hettrick

I suspect there are a lot more examples of bad behavior in parks, but these are ones we have photos for. They were sent to me by some regular Shoreline Area News photographers who also spend a lot of time walking in our parks.

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Photo by Seattle Poppy

The sign reads:

"Please do not strip bark!

"Whoever stripped bark from this tree has done a harm to our beloved neighborhood forest. Much like ripping a patch of skin off of our own arm, ripping bark from a tree opens it up to infection and disease. Though it will hopefully survive this, there is the possibility that a disease could now take hold and kill it. Taking care of our forest is all of our responsibility. Please be kind."

Photo by Seattle Poppy

In Hamlin Park, this driver parked their vehicle across the trailhead, making users climb through the bushes and around the car.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson

This dog owner got it half right. Pick up and bag your dog's feces. But there wasn't anything mentioned about hanging it in a park for someone else to clean up.

Warning: the next photo contains canine feces. You may want to send the adults out of the room.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Also in Hamlin Park, this dog owner figured that putting gloves over the dog feces would be sufficient. After all, someone else will clean it up, right?

Photo by Seattle Poppy

Sadly, these scene is all too common. This vehicle was in the parking lot at Hamlin Park. You can reduce the odds of this happening to you by keeping all valuables in your vehicle out of sight. But don't leave your purse or wallet in the vehicle in case the prowler decides to get in and check under the seats.

So this is where we reflect on the thousands of visits to our city parks and how most people don't do these things.

And kudos to the responsible dog owners who keep their dogs on leashes as well.