Local scoop
Macomb County's roomy northwest corner
Bruce Township fills the northwest corner of Macomb County, with 9,324 people spread across about 37 square miles of land. That's a lot of room for a dog to run, and a lot of lawn to keep an eye on.
Yards up to an acre with up to four dogs get a price online in about 30 seconds. Bigger properties get a custom quote, and either way you get a text when we're headed over and a gate-check photo when we leave.
Where Bruce dogs roam
Bruce Township Park, on East Gates Street, has a walking trail along with a fenced playground, a picnic pavilion and disc golf baskets. It's run by Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation. We didn't find posted dog rules for the park, so check the signs before you bring your pup.
For a longer outing, the Macomb Orchard Trail runs through the Village of Romeo next door on its 24-mile route between Shelby Township and Richmond. Macomb County asks that pets stay leashed and that you pack bags. And if your dog gets most of its exercise in your own yard, that's fine by us.
Bruce Township Park
223 E. Gates St., run by Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation: a walking trail, fenced playground, picnic pavilion and disc golf.
Macomb Orchard Trail (Romeo)
Leashed dogs welcome
Next door in the Village of Romeo, part of which lies in the township. Pets leashed, and bring bags.
Low density, big lawns
Bruce Township averages about 254 residents per square mile, with 3,536 homes counted in the 2020 Census. Out here, a yard can be a lot of ground.
Whatever your lot looks like, pricing works the same way: up to an acre and up to four dogs, you'll see your price online in about 30 seconds, and anything larger gets a custom quote instead of a guess. For one or two dogs, weekly or every other week usually fits. A big pack on a big lawn may need twice a week. Prefer the bags gone for good? Add haul-away.
North Branch farm country
The North Branch of the Clinton River and East Pond Creek both flow through Bruce Township, and a small southwest corner drains toward Stony Creek. The Clinton River Watershed Council includes the township in the North Branch subwatershed, where about 60 percent of the land is active farmland.
The council also notes that whatever reaches a storm drain here flows straight to the Clinton River and on to Lake St. Clair, pet waste included. A few months of poop on a big lawn adds up fast. Scooping it and bagging it keeps it out of the runoff.
The local rule: Don't let your dog leave poop anywhere other than the property where it's kept unless you pick it up right away and dispose of it properly. Off your property, dogs must be leashed or under direct control. (Bruce Township Animal Control Ordinance (waste removal and leash sections))
