It's come down to this. I never imagined I would be writing about dog crap for a column, but here I am after an incident in my neighborhood sparked, to put it mildly, a lively discussion with a fellow pet owner.

One morning, a man walking his large pit bull mix allowed his dog to relieve itself in my neighbor’s yard without trying to clean it up. I asked him, “Are you just going to leave that there?” His response was matter-of-fact: “I don’t have a bag.”

I offered to grab one for him from my house, but he mumbled something under his breath and continued walking as if I was interrupting his day.

Now, I might have just dismissed this as a minor irritation. You know, remind myself this is small stuff in the grand scheme of things, but this wasn't the first time it happened.

And in case you hadn't noticed, things in the big picture are, quite honestly, pretty crappy as well. Incivility is rampant, the news is full of stories and social media feeds are stuffed with enough ill-mannered waste to fill all those plastic bags blowing around on the side of roads.

Which makes me wonder: What happened to manners?

As a dog owner, I take my responsibilities seriously. My fur baby, Knight, is a year and three months old and enjoys plenty of walks – five to six each day. Whenever I walk my chow, I always bring two or three bags tucked into my coat pocket or jeans.

Knight has his favorite spots, and when he does his business, I pick up after him and try to leave the area a bit cleaner. If I come across a bottle, beer cans, pizza boxes or anything........

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