Not many dogs can say their face is on a bus. Ace can. The 18-year-old dog, one of the stars of Whatcom County Public Works' Scoop the Poop campaign, was out for a walk this week when he came face to face with himself on a Whatcom Transportation Authority bus. Naturally, he stopped for a photo.
Whatcom County Public Works runs the Scoop the Poop program as part of its broader effort to protect local waterways. Dog waste left on the ground does not just disappear. Rain washes it into storm drains, which flow directly into Bellingham Bay, Lake Whatcom, and other local water bodies without treatment. Bacteria, nutrients, and pathogens from pet waste contribute to water quality problems that affect swimming, shellfish harvesting, and overall ecosystem health in Whatcom County.
Ace became one of the campaign's ambassadors after his family signed the pledge to always scoop it, bag it, and trash it. At 18 years old, he has been a local fixture for longer than many Bellingham residents have been in town, and his calm, senior-dog energy makes him an excellent spokesperson for responsible pet ownership. The county featured him in campaign materials that ended up on WTA buses circulating across the region.
The Scoop the Poop program at whatcomcounty.us/ScoopPoop allows pet owners across Whatcom County to become Neighborhood Scooping Ambassadors. Ambassadors commit to cleaning up after their own pets and to helping spread the message in their neighborhoods. The program operates on the understanding that behavior change at scale happens neighbor by neighbor, dog walk by dog walk.
Whatcom Transportation Authority, which operates bus service across Whatcom County and into Bellingham, has provided advertising space on its fleet for public awareness campaigns like this one for years. Seeing a county public health message on a WTA bus is common, but seeing your own dog's face on one is considerably rarer. For Ace and his family, it made for a memorable mid-walk moment.
The program's messaging is straightforward: picking up after your dog is not just good manners, it is a direct act of environmental stewardship. Whatcom County's waterways are a significant part of what makes the region so desirable to live in and visit. Healthy shellfish populations at Birch Bay, clean water for recreation at Lake Whatcom, and safe conditions in Bellingham Bay all depend in part on keeping pet waste out of the stormwater system.
Pet owners who want to learn more or take the Scoop the Poop pledge can find full information at whatcomcounty.us. Bags and disposal stations are also available at many Whatcom County parks and trail access points throughout the year. For residents using the Bay to Baker Trail, the Interurban Trail, or any of the county's park facilities, the county asks that waste bags be packed out and deposited in trash bins rather than left on the trail.
As for Ace, he seems to be handling his local celebrity status with the relaxed confidence of a dog who has seen a lot of summers in Bellingham. Eighteen years old, out for a walk, and briefly face to face with himself on a moving bus. If that is not main character energy, nothing is.
