7 Reasons to Pick Up After Your Dog
Picking up after your dog isn’t exactly the most enjoyable chore. Let’s face it, it can be tempting to just skip this task altogether …. It’s not bothering anyone right?
Well wrong! Dog poop is not only bad for the environment and your garden too but it is also a public health risk — and in many places, it’s also a legal requirement.
We thought it would be useful to remind ourselves why this unpleasant task it is so important – so here goes!
7 Reasons to Pick Up After Your Dog
1. It may be a legal requirement
Many communities require you to clean up after your dog. While this might be obvious in parks and public spaces with posted signs telling you to clean up after your pup, it’s not uncommon for neighborhood homeowners associations to require picking up poo even in your own garden.
2. Dog Poop Is Not Fertilizer
People often believe that leaving dog waste to decompose on the grass is good for the lawn, but the truth is that dog poop is toxic for your grass. Cow manure, is basically composted grass, whilst a typical dog’s poop is acidic through natural protein digestive processes and so it will destroy the grass underneath it. For this reason, dog poop also shouldn’t be placed in the compost or used to fertilise the garden. In either case, it contains bacteria that could contaminate your vegetables.
3. It’s an Environmental Pollutant
Dog waste contains two types of pollutants: nutrients and pathogens. Dog waste that gets washed into waterways may carry pathogens that affect living things in the water and can make people sick that come into contact with the water. Also, nutrients released from dog poop can stimulate the growth of algae and other plant life, making the water unsuitable for recreational uses.
4. Dog poop Carries Diseases
Even if your dog doesn’t show any symptoms of illness, their poop, like ours, can still carry bacteria and parasites, like Giardia, that are harmful to other pets and humans. And you don’t need to come into direct contact with dog poop in order to contract an illness from it — diseases in poop can be transmitted by flies or other pets that come into contact with it.
5. It Can Overwhelm the Ecosystem
While you may think your own dog’s poop can’t do that much harm, keep in mind that your dog is likely one of hundreds in your area. It is generally accepted that the ecosystem can handle up to two dogs per square mile. In urban areas however there are many more dogs than this per square mile
The waste associated with these dogs can quickly overwhelm the eco system. By picking up after your dog you are helping to protect the eco system.
6. It Smells Bad
Particularly on hot days, dog poop left lying in parks or in the street can quickly pile up to a point that the smell becomes overwhelming. Even if you live in a rural area with no close neighbors, you will know that a relaxing afternoon outdoors can be ruined by too many dog poops smelling out the garden.
7. It’s Common Courtesy
I think we have all had to clean off dog poop from our shoes at some time or another and it can really ruin your day – and your shoes! It’s bad enough if it is your dog, but to step in someone elses dog poop is frankly disgusting.
How can The Woof Club help you?
We hope that you will find this blog useful as a reminder of the importance of picking up after your dog. In our online shop we have pretty poop bag holders, emergency wipes for dirty bottoms etc Check these out – we think you will love them. Please let us know your thoughts and experiences on this important topic. You can contact us on woof@thewoofclub.ch or leave a comment on this page.