Dealing with pet waste in public is just one of the many responsibilities pet owners face on a daily basis. But, it’s hardly ever mentioned, unless your one of those neighbors who has no problem leaving doggie land mines all over the neighborhood. There are a few important things dog owners should know about leaving pet waste around in public, besides it being rude and inconsiderate.
It wont disappear overnight.
Whether it’s in your own yard or your neighbors you may want to go ahead and pick it up, before it turns into a real problem. Pet waste contains water polluting nutrients that can easily become transferred into your water source. If left on the ground, waste can be picked up by stormwater runoff and washed into stormdrains or nearby waterbodies. Untreated feces can end up in nearby lakes and streams causing significant water pollution.
There are 5 important things to remember about animal waste:
1. Decaying pet waste consumes oxygen. (Sometimes, feces releases ammonia that can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life)
2. Disease, bacteria, viruses and parasites can be transmitted to humans and other wildlife. (Infected stools can transmit roundworm eggs, parvovirus and coronavirus)
3. Pet waste promotes weed and algae growth. (Tired of weeds in the backyard? Clean up the waste.) 4. Waste attracts flies, and flies can get in your house carrying the disease and spreading bacteria to your countertops.
5. “Beyond your grass, it has been estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria…” (http://www.poopiepalz.com/)
My dog poops a lot!
Scoop it! Your not going to prevent any of the health hazards listed above by spraying it back into the ground! The best thing you can do is remove it entirely, even if it’s not in close proximity to a water source.
Bag it! Wrap your hand in a plastic baggy and grab it up out of the grass. Your local pet store will most likely have these scooper bags for sale. Or you could always use the good ol’ fashioned grocery bag!
Get rid of it! You can either throw it in the trash or in the commode. If you don’t want to fill your outside trash with doggie waste they have a little invention called a waste digester system. It goes in your yard and uses environment-friendly enzymes and bacteria to turn dog waste into a ground-absorbed liquid. With one of these bad boys installed, you can bag it, scoop it and throw into the digester and it takes care of the rest! These usually run from $50 to $60.
Inspiration for this article came from twitter.com/PickUpThatPoop
Resources:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=12&pCatId=570
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm?action=browse&Rbutton=detail&bmp=4
