Chicken Bones

‘Chicken a la mayor’
courtesy of ‘Steve Punter’

Below is a suggested story that we received from a concerned reader calling herself “chickenbone.”

“What do you think we should know about?
Who or what? the vast amounts of chicken bones in certain areas of DC. It seems like people just throw them out the window. These are extremely hazardous to my dogs and others. its like eatting nails.
What makes it interesting? i swear sometimes i walk down the alley and there are like mounds of chicken bones. what is the deal? through them in the garbage. ”

Sic, Sic, Sic, etc.

So there you have it: chicken bones kill, through them in the garbage. Seriously.

Kirk Anderson

Kirk is a Maine-born, military brat who moved no fewer than 12 times during his childhood. He came to the DC area in 2004 for his undergrad and decided that it was the place for him. Since graduating, he’s nabbed a job with the Fed and spends most of his free time hunting for cheap thrills in the city. Find out why he loves DC.

13 thoughts on “Chicken Bones”

I realize this isn’t a big deal for those people without dogs, perhaps even funny. But for those of us who do have dogs – its obnoxious!!!! i have to stick my hand down my dog’s throat every block on a saturday morning cause of all the bones. its not safe and really disgusting! not to mention her pulling me down the block to get to the crust of a left over jumbo slice. throw your leftovers in the garbage!

Chicken bones are better for the environment if they are left lying around. Learn to control your dogs better. If you tell them “no” they should listen. If they don’t then you probably shouldn’t own a dog because you don’t know how to properly train them. I make sure to save chicken bones in my car until I get to DC and them I begin to unload them on the streets. Homeless people love it!

Really? We have a chicken bone problem in DC now? Come on. I can’t imagine that there are that many chicken bones lying around that dog owners have to shove their hands down their dogs throat “every block”.

I’m actually inclined to start disposing of chicken bones on the street as a punitive response to the butchering of the English language at the hands of “chickenbone”.

Having a dog really makes you notice how many chicken bones there are around the streets of DC. Seriously, it is a major problem for dog owners and just totally gross.

Another dog owner here to tell you that yes, there are chicken bones all over the place in DC. And if I could see/smell them as well as my dog, I would be happy to prevent her from getting to them.

That said, this is probably not interesting enough to be news. It’s not new, it’s just annoying.

I have been ranting about the chicken bone problem in Columbia Heights to my friends ever since I moved here. They literally are EVERYWHERE. Every time I walk the dogs, I am having to pull bones out of their mouths, but I can’t get everything. They find them on the sidewalks, in the grass near the sidewalks, in the streets, in the shrubs, in the plaza. It is ridiculous. There are garbage cans on almost every corner around here, yet people just toss their garbage on the ground. It is extremely dangerous and impossible to prevent the dogs from going after them. Just a few moments ago, my foster dog puked up a whole bunch of chicken bone fragments. As a bonus, he also puked up a grape. Grapes, even in small amounts, can cause deadly and irreversible kidney failure in dogs. The last time my dog ate grapes, he had to spend two or three days on IV fluids in order to prevent kidney failure. I’m waiting now to hear back about whether I have to do this for the foster.

I really wish something could be done about this. Does anyone have any ideas?

Is there some kind of group we could form?

This comment has been edited by a blog administrator for violating the We Love DC comment policy.

I like pretty pink sparkly ponies!

This comment has been edited by a blog administrator for violating the We Love DC comment policy.

I like unicorns and rainbows!

Before this conversation goes any farther off the rails, I remind all participants to read and follow our comment policy.

This comment has been edited by a blog administrator for violating the We Love DC comment policy.

Since I’ve been censored I’ll try this another way. Asshat, feces too is of some small environmental benefit. Should we allow all manner of animal, quadrapedal or bipedal, to stash their leavings all about the city in such an unchecked manner? Should we place the burden of responsibility on passers by to have awareness enough to avoid the land mines? Is it right to expect such from the pedestrian community? I would submit that the bipedal pedestrian community is much better equipped to simply watch where they’re going than our canine friends who have to fight Darwin (not unlike you) to resist the urge to consume the chicken bones. In short* I really like pie. And ice cream sundaes with lots of colorful sprinkles.

I encourage anyone who wants to compost their chicken bones on their own property to do so. That would be a great way to address “asshat”‘s environmental concern without endangering our animals.

If anybody else would like to continue this conversation without making immature, personal attacks, I would like to hear your ideas about what we might to do remedy this problem. I am thinking about asking Pollo Campero and similar places to post some kind of sign with a cute dog on it that says, “Chicken bones can kill me. Please throw your your bones in the garbage and not on the street.” and/or put some similar message on their packaging. Anybody think that would be at all effective or that people who litter this way just won’t care?

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Farr on July 22, 2009 at 3:35 pm said:

I realize this isn’t a big deal for those people without dogs, perhaps even funny. But for those of us who do have dogs – its obnoxious!!!! i have to stick my hand down my dog’s throat every block on a saturday morning cause of all the bones. its not safe and really disgusting! not to mention her pulling me down the block to get to the crust of a left over jumbo slice. throw your leftovers in the garbage!
asshat on July 22, 2009 at 3:55 pm said:

Chicken bones are better for the environment if they are left lying around. Learn to control your dogs better. If you tell them “no” they should listen. If they don’t then you probably shouldn’t own a dog because you don’t know how to properly train them. I make sure to save chicken bones in my car until I get to DC and them I begin to unload them on the streets. Homeless people love it!
Eric on July 22, 2009 at 4:55 pm said:

Really? We have a chicken bone problem in DC now? Come on. I can’t imagine that there are that many chicken bones lying around that dog owners have to shove their hands down their dogs throat “every block”.

I’m actually inclined to start disposing of chicken bones on the street as a punitive response to the butchering of the English language at the hands of “chickenbone”.
Laurie on July 23, 2009 at 9:47 am said:

Having a dog really makes you notice how many chicken bones there are around the streets of DC. Seriously, it is a major problem for dog owners and just totally gross.
Ashley on July 23, 2009 at 9:59 am said:

Another dog owner here to tell you that yes, there are chicken bones all over the place in DC. And if I could see/smell them as well as my dog, I would be happy to prevent her from getting to them.

That said, this is probably not interesting enough to be news. It’s not new, it’s just annoying.
Karen on July 23, 2009 at 3:19 pm said:

I have been ranting about the chicken bone problem in Columbia Heights to my friends ever since I moved here. They literally are EVERYWHERE. Every time I walk the dogs, I am having to pull bones out of their mouths, but I can’t get everything. They find them on the sidewalks, in the grass near the sidewalks, in the streets, in the shrubs, in the plaza. It is ridiculous. There are garbage cans on almost every corner around here, yet people just toss their garbage on the ground. It is extremely dangerous and impossible to prevent the dogs from going after them. Just a few moments ago, my foster dog puked up a whole bunch of chicken bone fragments. As a bonus, he also puked up a grape. Grapes, even in small amounts, can cause deadly and irreversible kidney failure in dogs. The last time my dog ate grapes, he had to spend two or three days on IV fluids in order to prevent kidney failure. I’m waiting now to hear back about whether I have to do this for the foster.

I really wish something could be done about this. Does anyone have any ideas?
Laura on July 23, 2009 at 3:33 pm said:

Is there some kind of group we could form?
mean-e on July 23, 2009 at 3:36 pm said:

This comment has been edited by a blog administrator for violating the We Love DC comment policy.

I like pretty pink sparkly ponies!
His Dudeness on July 23, 2009 at 4:10 pm said:

This comment has been edited by a blog administrator for violating the We Love DC comment policy.

I like unicorns and rainbows!
Tiffany Bridge on July 23, 2009 at 4:22 pm said:

Before this conversation goes any farther off the rails, I remind all participants to read and follow our comment policy.
His Dudeness on July 23, 2009 at 4:35 pm said:

This comment has been edited by a blog administrator for violating the We Love DC comment policy.

Since I’ve been censored I’ll try this another way. Asshat, feces too is of some small environmental benefit. Should we allow all manner of animal, quadrapedal or bipedal, to stash their leavings all about the city in such an unchecked manner? Should we place the burden of responsibility on passers by to have awareness enough to avoid the land mines? Is it right to expect such from the pedestrian community? I would submit that the bipedal pedestrian community is much better equipped to simply watch where they’re going than our canine friends who have to fight Darwin (not unlike you) to resist the urge to consume the chicken bones. In short* I really like pie. And ice cream sundaes with lots of colorful sprinkles.
Karen on July 23, 2009 at 5:15 pm said:

I encourage anyone who wants to compost their chicken bones on their own property to do so. That would be a great way to address “asshat”‘s environmental concern without endangering our animals.

If anybody else would like to continue this conversation without making immature, personal attacks, I would like to hear your ideas about what we might to do remedy this problem. I am thinking about asking Pollo Campero and similar places to post some kind of sign with a cute dog on it that says, “Chicken bones can kill me. Please throw your your bones in the garbage and not on the street.” and/or put some similar message on their packaging. Anybody think that would be at all effective or that people who litter this way just won’t care?
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