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Acton man wars against dog "doo" BY FRANCES NIBLOCK Acton resident Bob Thompson is mad as hell and he's not going to take it any more. "It" is the accumulation of drop-pings left by inconsiderate dog owners who flaunt the Town's stoop-and-scoop laws. Almost daily Thompson must shovel up some dog's mess from his tidy lawn on Acton Boulevard. Exasperated, Thompson recently posted a sign on his front lawn warning dog owners they will find their dog's "goodies" on their front step if he catches them not cleaning up after their pet. "I am a dog-lover but I have no time for owners who don't curb their pets. In the past month I have had to clean up after some dog at least a dozen times. I can't walk barefoot onmy lawn any more and I sure won't let my baby son play on the grass," Thompson complained. "Look here -- here's another pile. Even with the sign I still find messes like this on my lawn," Thompson said last week in front of his family's home. "I've called the Town but they say they can't enforce the stoop-and-scoop bylaw unless I catch the dog in the act and can identify the owner." Thompson has no idea whose dog or dogs are making the mess but he wants it stopped. "Maybe it's just some ignorant dog owner who doesn't give a damn and lets his pet run free, but it is going to stop. When I find the owners I will make sure they keep their dogs off my property." The Town's animal control bylaw provides for a maximum $5,000 fine for people convicted of not cleaning up after their pets. However bylaw enforcement officer Ron Stein says no one has been convicted under the stoop-and-scoop section. "To bring a case before the court you must have enough evidence to convince a justice of the peace that the offense has been committed and that you can identify the dog and the owner or handler," Stein explained. "If someone can do all that, then I would lay the charge -- if the complain-ant was willing to be a witness in court and give evidence." That's not good enough for Thompson, who wants to be able to walk barefoot on his lawn. "I can't believe people are so lazy, or maybe so stupid. The law apparently can't stop them, so I have to spend my summer with a shovel. It's disgusting!" Acton lifeguards still able despite dismal results in competition BY FRANCES NIBLOCK Although Acton lifeguards finished in last spot in a weekend life-guarding competition, Acton Indoor Pool manager Nancy Gilchrist insisted yesterday (Monday) that they are all "extremely competent." Despite the poor showing -- ninth in a field of nine -- Gilchrist said local pool-users do not have to worry about their safety. "I felt that the team did well, but the judges didn't (feel that way). We were stunned and disappointed with our ranking. We ranked well in the four standard tests but the others teams ranked higher," Please turn to page 2 Bob Thompson cleans up after yet another dog fouled his front lawn. (Photo by Frances NiblockJ