BELLINGHAM - Mary Margaret Richter was walking through Bayview Cemetery one Saturday morning when she saw two people and their dog playing in Beth Israel Cemetery, a fenced-in area next to Bayview.

"This was not the first time I have seen people exercising their dog in the Jewish cemetery," the Bellingham resident said.

It was the second time within six months, she said, adding that people go there because "it's fenced in so you don't have to worry about your dog running off."

The last time she didn't say anything, just thinking it was "awful."

This time she did. And the response, essentially, was, "What's it to you?"

"I just thought it was such a shame," said Richter, who replied to the duo by saying that she didn't like to see the dead, or their living relatives, disrespected.

Such behavior is growing in both cemeteries, located in Bellingham. Dogs aren't the issue. The problem is pet owners letting their dogs off-leash, despite signs posted at all three gates and within that say dogs must be leashed.

"They're already being very generous," Richter said of the city of Bellingham, which oversees both cemeteries. "They're letting people walk their dog there, as long as they're on their leash."

Marcia Wazny, cemetery sexton, is noticing an increase in such behavior among a small number of dog owners. There are other problems from off-leash dogs going where they shouldn't.

"You see things like dogs pooping on graves," Wazny said, and peeing on them.

And then there are the people who play with their dogs, with Wazny saying a woman visiting her husband's grave was upset by one such incident.

"I think it's time to get the word out, to have some respect, to remind people what a cemetery is and what it's about," Wazny said. "We work with families. We hear their grief."

She and her staff have spoken to such pet owners.

"Some people have looked at my staff and said, 'You can't tell me what to do,' " Wazny said, noting that they don't have the authority to issue tickets.

But the Whatcom Humane Society, which handles animal control issues for the city of Bellingham, can.

"They're helpful to us," Wazny said.

The problem of dogs being off-leash when they shouldn't be is not isolated to Bayview and Beth Israel cemeteries, according to Laura Clark, executive director for Whatcom Humane Society,

"This past spring and summer our agency began receiving an increased number of complaints from citizens regarding dogs running off-leash in areas such as Bayview Cemetery, Lake Padden Park, Boulevard Park and other areas," Clark explained. "We also saw an increase in complaints about dog owners not cleaning up after their dogs."

So the humane society increased random patrols of problem areas, as its resources allowed.

The goals, Clark said, are to reward responsible pet owners, educate those who aren't and "when necessary issue citations to those dog owners who continue to break the law."

People who are seen walking their dogs on a leash or cleaning up after their pets are given a coupon for a free pound of dog biscuits redeemable at PetStop in Sehome Village, she said.

PetStop donates the biscuits.

Pet owners who don't leash their dogs, when they're in an area that requires it, or leave dog waste behind may be cited and fined.

While most people walking their dogs at Bayview are respectful, with Wazny saying that they stick to the outer edges of the cemetery, she hopes to educate those who aren't.

"It's an important place," Wazny said, "and the public needs to revisit that thought."

For Richter, who doesn't have any ties to Bayview other than as a place to walk, the hope is that others will not let such behavior slide.

"We think 'it's bad behavior, but it's none of my business,' " Richter said. "Well maybe it is. If more people spoke up, it might help a little bit."