Let’s face it; stepping in dog poop is nasty! It smells! It is repulsive to deal with!
But besides the obvious above reasons, let’s talk about how pet waste is a health hazard for you, your family and for your dog. It can make you sick! It is not a good fertilizer for the grass. In fact it is poisonous to lawns. Dog poop is protein base not vegetative based matter like horse manure. It takes more than a year for canine waste to biologically decompose when left lying on the ground.
Pet waste left lying on the ground can contain and transmit parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, coccidia, whipworms, E-coli, giardia, parvo, salmonellosis, cryptosporidiosis, campylobacteriosis to name a few. When infected dog waste is left lying on the ground, the eggs of these parasites enter the soil and live there for a long time. So your pets, children and you can come into contact with these parasitic eggs and potentially get an infection.
Pet waste that is not picked up is the #3 contributor to ground water pollution. It washes down our streets, through our storm drains eventually making its way to our lakes, streams, and eventually the ocean, carrying all the parasites, bacteria, viruses and fungi along with it. The EPA says that dog poop is as toxic to the environment as chemical and oil spills.
Dog poop is loved by rodents especially rats! So that dog poop you are leaving behind may be attracting rodents!
In a lot of areas it is against the law NOT to pick up dog waste.
So let’s be a good neighbor and pick up after our dogs. It does not take but a few minutes to pick up and dispose of the dog poop. And if not for others do it for you and your pup!
If you enjoyed this article you might find the following interesting as well… Litter Boxes, 7 Easy Steps to Puppy-Proofing and Kitten-Proofing Your Home.