RESIDENTS IRKED BY DOG DROPPINGS.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

A group of residents is forming a Neighborhood Watch group - not to deter burglars or vandals - but to catch dog owners who don't clean up after their pooches.

Hillcrest Park residents are so upset by dog droppings on their lawns and sidewalks that they're considering using video cameras to catch those who refuse to scoop up poop.

"It smells. The flies come. It's not very nice," said resident Pat Kellogg, one of a dozen homeowners fighting a losing battle to keep their lawns free of dog droppings.

Recently, the fight for immaculate lawns and sidewalks escalated into vandalism and trespassing charges. After a resident made signs urging pet owners to use pooper scoopers, the signs were stolen from front yards and ripped apart.

Now residents want to form a watch that will monitor dogs and their owners.

"Unfortunately you have to be a vigilante," said resident Henny Reisinger who said she no longer enjoys jogging because of dog droppings. "If they're aware that people are watching what they're doing, they'll curb it."

But sheriff's deputies said Neighborhood Watch groups are established to monitor crimes such as burglaries, car thefts and vandalism - not messy dogs and their inconsiderate masters.

"Neighborhood Watch groups are formed solely for criminal activity. We're not talking about criminal activity," said Deputy Patrick Rissler, adding that this is the first such request he's heard in seven years at the department.

Neighbors said the mess leaves a foul odor, stains their lawns and poses a hazard to children.

"It's unhealthy," Reisinger said. "There's a hundred kids playing in the area and they're dragging it into the house."

Reisinger thought she had found a solution to the problem when she made a dozen signs urging owners to pick up after their pets. But within days of posting the signs, someone uprooted them from lawns and unsuccessfully attempted to remove another from a tree in Reisinger's front yard.

"It's getting really ridiculous," she said. "It shouldn't have gotten to this point."

Last week, they sought the help of the Castaic Area Town Council, Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy and even Assemblywoman Paula Boland, R-Granada Hills.

While Los Angeles County has no pooper-scooper ordinance, animal control officials can use the county's leash law to cite owners whose dogs run loose and dirty people's lawns. They also can seek prosecution under state and local health codes.

To do so, however, an animal control officer or sheriff's deputy must observe the violation. If that isn't possible, county officials suggested neighbors use video cameras to catch offending dogs in the act.

"Videotape, especially with the time and date, that's evidence," said Lt. George Enriquez, supervisor of the Castaic Animal Shelter. "The District Attorney's Office can summon (dog owners) to court."

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Photo Roxanne Talman, left, and Henny Reisinger let Castaic residents know their feelings about dog droppings. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News