McT Real Estate Group places doggy bag dispensers throughout North Park

Hutton Marshall | Uptown Editor

In a recent blend of marketing ingenuity and altruism, local real estate agents Mary McTernan and Z McT-Contreras of the McT Real Estate Group provided a solution to the mess left behind by North Park’s canines.

Last month, the pair distributed approximately 15 doggy bag dispensers throughout the community, creating a convenient way for dog owners to ensure their pet doesn’t leave unwelcome gifts on the front lawns and sidewalks of North Park. This is an increasingly prevalent problem in the area, according to McT-Contreras. Believing in the good intentions of dog owners, she attributed this issue to owners simply forgetting to bring doggy bags along with them on walks, rather than nefariously allowing their canines to relieve themselves on whomever’s property they see fit.

“It could be that [local dog owners] just don’t pick up after them or it could be that they’ve just run out of bags, so we like giving them the benefit of the doubt,” she said. “I figured let’s turn a negative thing into a positive thing.”

McT-Contreras also said the streets have been noticeably cleaner since installing the dispensers approximately two weeks ago. She’s even had to replace the bags in them — a sign that locals are regularly using them.

However, reception of the real estate agents’ efforts has unfortunately not been without contention. McT-Contreras reported many of the dispensers — bags, signs and all — were stolen shortly after being installed. She replaced them, only to have several stolen a second time on the very next day.

“It is pretty sad that someone would do this when all we are trying to do is come up with a creative way to get everyone involved in keeping our community clean,” McTernan stated in an email. “Since we are a pretty creative group, we will just have to come up with a way of having the signs positioned in such a way that they cannot be removed so easily.”

But the real estate group continues to construct and maintain the dispensers, and they encourage any residents who would like one installed on their street to contact [email protected]. McTernan and McT-Contreras also request to be contacted by residents who witness a dispenser being removed by someone not operating one of the pink McTernan Real Estate vehicles.

For more information on the McT Real Estate Group, visit marymctsoldme.com.