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VITAL REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG
Reasons Why You Should Clean Up After Your Dog
Here are some important reasons why you should pick up your pet’s waste:
- It’s ugly
- It smells
- It’s messy
- It’s the right thing to do
- It pollutes the environment
- It attracts pests and parasites
- It contaminates water (rivers, streams, lakes and our oceans)
- Bacteria in waste can endanger humans, pets, wildlife, birdlife and marine life
- It’s high in nitrogen and phosphorus which promote weed and algae growth in water
Diseases Associated with Animal Faeces
Several diseases can be transmitted from dogs to humans via faeces.
- E. coli
- Giardia
- Coccidia
- Parvovirus
- Salmonella
- Toxocariasis
- Canine coronavirus
- Cryptosporidium
- Campylobacter
- Roundworms
- Hookworms
- Whipworms
One gram of dog waste can contain up to 23 million faecal coliform bacteria.
Tips for Picking Up & Discarding Pet Waste
- Buy dog waste bags
- Pay attention to when your dog has to go and be ready
- Install a backyard composter/digester created for pet waste
- Pick up one extra dog poop that doesn’t belong to your dog
- Take extra bags and offer them to pet parents who fail to pick up their pet’s waste
- Encourage others to clean up after their pets with a sign and free bags outside your home
- Find out if there’s a company in your area that picks up and properly disposes of pet waste
- Don’t go for doggy walks without a way to remove waste from the environment
- Don’t use compost in your garden that contains pet waste
Also find out what your municipality expects of you, for example:
City of Cape Town: Animal By-law, 2011, Chapter 2 – Dogs, Section 11
Removal of excrement
- If any dog defecates in any public street, public place or public road, any person in control of such dog, excluding a person assisted by a guide dog, shall forthwith remove the excrement, place it in a plastic or paper bag or wrapper and dispose of it in a receptacle provided for the deposit of litter or refuse, excluding a person who is assisted by a guide dog.
- No person shall walk a dog, other than a guide dog, in a public street, public place or public road, without carrying a sufficient number of plastic or paper bags or wrappers, within which to place the excrement of the dog, in the event of the dog defecating.
DID YOU KNOW? 1 to 7 April is International Pooper Scooper Week!
In 2008, the first week of April was declared International Pooper Scooper Week. Its purpose is to spread awareness of a rising problem and educate pet parents on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs. #PooperScooper Week
Do Your Part as Pet Parent
From 1 to 7 April AND BEYOND, let’s commit to being better pooch parents by picking up and discarding waste properly.
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