Overflow of dog waste and trash causing smelly dog park in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. – Toni Moracco wanted a place for her 3-month-old puppy, Hooch to play at.

“Finally he can go out and explore with other dogs,” she said.

Moracco checked out the Church Hill Dog Park in Richmond for the first time Tuesday.

“I just like that it’s fenced in, it helps where dogs can be free,” said Moracco.

She said she enjoyed the space, but quickly became disappointed because of a stench in the air.

“The closer you got, the worse it got,” said Moracco. “I was like oh God what is that smell. It was terrible.”

Moracco said the smell came from the overflow of dog waste and trash.

“It wasn’t too welcoming,” she said. “It’s not something you want to have your kids around. I had my two kids with me yesterday. They didn't like it.”

She reached out to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers for help fixing the problem.

“The smell of dog poop already doesn’t smell good alone, with the heat it just makes it worse,” Moracco added.

CBS 6 reached out to Richmond’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

A spokeswoman told us the trash had been emptied last week after someone notified them about the issue.

Parks and Recreation said the department already made contact with maintenance staff again, and plan to have it emptied no later than Thursday.

Moracco said she is hopeful that the city will addresses the issue soon because some people have already started going to other spots to walk their dogs.