Paw Patrol

Canines “flock” to join Lavallette’s goose control effort

As a parent of a young child, Joanne LaCicero would gaze out her front window at the ballfield across the street and watch the Lavallette Elementary School children playing with their sports teams in the grassy, fenced-in Chandler Ball Park. She knew her own son might one day be playing as well on that field. The only problem was it was covered in goose droppings. And that didn’t sit well with her.

In a barrier island resort town where lawns are made of stones and sand, grass becomes a luxury for wild fowl. The Canada Geese would literally flock to the field to enjoy uninterrupted meals and rest, leaving behind a dirty mess. Baseball and soccer players, as well as kids who just wanted to fly a kite on a breezy day, found themselves in the middle of that mess. But from necessity comes invention. And being the wife of the Mayor of Lavallette, Mrs. LaCicero knew to take her idea right to the top.

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