Eastern WA town tries new way to stop goose poop. And it’s adorable

Walla Walla is trying a new way keep the sidewalks and lawns of its most popular city park free of slimy goose poop.

Ruthie, a 2-year-old border collie trained to chase geese without harming them, will be patrolling Pioneer Park, a popular hangout for the birds.

The city says “goose-mitigation” dogs have been successful elsewhere in encouraging geese to relocate to areas where they don’t foul spaces enjoyed by people or scare toddlers with aggressive behavior.

“Ruthie is trained to act as a natural predator,” said Andy Coleman, Walla Walla parks and recreation director, in a Facebook post. “She won’t hurt the geese, she’ll just encourage them to move along and not stay in the park long term.”

The geese aren’t just a nuisance with the slime they leave behind on walking paths.

Their droppings can contain hamful bacteria, as well as nitrogen, which can lead to excessive algal growth and impair water quality in Pioneer Park’s ponds and waterways.

City officials feared that the problem would just grow worse, if not addressed. Some communities have taken to rounding up and killing birds or using drones to shoo them off.

Walla Walla settled on hazing the geese with a trained dog as a “humane and cost-effective” strategy, it said.

A search of the internet shows many companies that will bring a trained goose-mitigation dog on site or that train and sell the dogs.

Ruthie is owned by the city, which pays for her food and vet bills. But she will live with a volunteer handler.

The handler will take Ruthie on frequent outings to the park to bother the geese.

When she’s working she will be wearing red vest, and people in the park are asked to give her space to do her job.

This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 11:50 AM.