Local scoop
Small city, busy backyards
Utica fits a lot into about 1.8 square miles: the Clinton River, an enclosed dog park on Hahn Street, and a downtown that grew up around the corner of Cass Avenue and Auburn Road. There's also, most likely, a little something your dog left in the backyard.
We can take that off your list. We scoop both of Utica's residential ZIP codes, 48315 and 48317, on the schedule you choose.
Where Utica dogs roam
Pioneer Park Dog Park, at 7505 Hahn Street, gives dogs an enclosed place to run, with a separate area for pups 25 pounds and under. You'll need a key fob membership, picked up at Utica City Hall, and it's open dawn to dusk.
Prefer a leashed stroll? Follow the Clinton River. Heritage Park sits where Van Dyke Avenue meets the river, with a fishing pier and a bike and pedestrian bridge on the Iron Belle Trail. Memorial Park, next to the library, anchors the River Walk, and from there the trail runs through the Utica Recreation Area to River Bends Park in Shelby Township. Grant Park has its own network of walking paths. In city parks, code requires a leash and an immediate pickup.
Pioneer Park Dog Park
Off-leash dog park
7505 Hahn Street: an enclosed large-dog area plus a small-dog area for pups 25 pounds or less. Key fob membership from Utica City Hall; open dawn to dusk.
Clinton River Heritage Park
Leashed dogs welcome
9.7 acres where Van Dyke meets the Clinton River, with a canoe and kayak landing, a fishing pier and a bridge on the Iron Belle Trail.
Memorial Park and the River Walk
Leashed dogs welcome
A small riverfront park beside the library that, with J.K. Noonan Riverwalk Park, anchors the River Walk and connects to the Iron Belle hike/bike trail.
Grant Park
Leashed dogs welcome
The city's main 11.17-acre park, between Van Dyke and M-53, with a network of walking paths. Leash on; pick up right away.
Owners, renters and move-out cleanups
Utica is a small, built-out city, and about 59% of its occupied homes are owner-occupied, per Census estimates, so plenty of households rent.
Own or rent, the number of dogs sets the schedule. One dog often does fine every other week. Two or more usually need weekly or twice-a-week service. Moving out of a rental? A one-time cleanup gets the yard ready before you hand back the keys. Manage an apartment or condo community? We install, stock and empty pet waste stations and scoop the common areas.
The Clinton's main branch runs through town
The Clinton River's main branch flows right through Utica on its way to Lake St. Clair. Water that reaches a storm drain heads straight to the river and then the lake. The Clinton River Watershed Council lists pet waste among the pollutants that runoff picks up, and it calls stormwater the biggest source of water quality problems in the river and the lake.
Utica's code also requires dog owners to keep manure contained on their property so it can't scatter onto streets, sidewalks or gutters. Scheduled scooping handles that without a second thought.
The local rule: Bag and remove droppings right away, and keep dogs off public sidewalks and other people's lawns. At home, manure must stay contained so it can't scatter or smell. In parks: leash on, pick up immediately. (Utica Code Sec. 6-39, Sec. 50-42)
