Steaming PILES of Laziness

August 24, 2016
by
2 mins read

Dear Davi,

Ewww! I stepped in poo! Can you please remind humans WHY it’s important to scoop the poop?

Pepe the Poodle

____________________

Pepe,

It’s just flat-out nasty to get poo between your paws. Did you know nearly 40 percent of dog owners leave their pet’s poo where it lands, never giving it a second thought? And while the urge to leave dog poo on the ground is normal, even inevitable, it’s a temptation all humans should resist. Because poo is deemed to be a toxic pollutant — in the same category as toxic chemicals — it’s important that humans pick up after their pets. Still, there are many who refuse to do the dirty deed. Let’s take a look at some excuses our humans make to avoid poop-scooping — the facts alone should be reason enough to bag it up:

It’s dog poop. What’s the big deal? The big deal is, more than 80 million dogs live in America, creating 10 million tons of poop annually — that’s 20 billion pounds of poop polluting waterways and posing a threat to public health.

Oh, it’s OK. Poo is natural; it decomposes anyway. Truth is, the process is slow, and in places where the dog population is high, abandoned feces accumulates faster than it breaks down, leaving beaucoup poo behind. The longer it remains, the more contaminated the ground becomes.

It’s like fertilizer; I’m helping grass grow. Contrary to popular belief, dog doo is NOT fertilizer and does not provide any benefit to soil whatsoever. In fact, it’s usually toxic to plants and can contaminate fruits and veggies with harmful bacteria.

Isn’t it good for the environment? No. Dog poop is bad for the environment. It can carry many germs, parasites and zoonotic diseases, which can spread between animals and humans. It gets washed into waterways with rain and pollutes the water — which we count on to be potable. Sip on that for a moment.

My pup dropped a load off the beaten path — no harm, no foul. On average, dogs do a No. 2 twice a day, which adds up to about 14 piles of poo per dog in just one week. It might be out of sight and out of mind, but feces left in open spaces can attract nasty things like mice, rats and insects. And if your local landscaper gets it on his shoes … look out!

It’s gross — period. Yeah, it’s a stinky job, but it’s a responsibility, and in many places, it’s the law. If you don’t want to be slapped with a citation, pick up the poop and dispose of it correctly or pay the fine.

It’s a public park — someone else will pick it up. Nobody likes walking through a park — or lie on beautiful beach sand — littered with turds. It’s disgusting. Poo in public areas is unsightly, unsanitary and unsafe. Take it from me — the smell of fresh poop still tickles my nose, but I learned the hard way that a quick lick can make you sick.

Bottom line? Pick up the poop. Seriously, people. Pick it up. Every time.

Pick a load up, Fanny!

______________________________________

Davi the dachshund can’t scoop his own poop, but he does wait (mostly) patiently while his mom does the “honors.”

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

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