The A – Z on dog poop

Not disposing of Dog Poop is a true problem.

By Laura Pakis, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and Cynologist

It is a means of passing parasites and infections

Dog waste contaminates the ground and becomes a means of passing intestinal parasites and infections to dogs and people. Parasites can repeatedly reinfest your own dog in this way. Picking up the feces prevents a great deal of contamination, especially if diarrhea is not involved. Cleanup can reduce veterinary expenses and might even save on human doctor bills.

Dog waste is highly offensive to many people.

Because of contamination and smell, and mess, dog waste is highly offensive to many people in the community. It often becomes a reason to ban dogs from areas. Of course, the dogs can’t clean up after themselves, so this is a people problem rather than a dog problem. It’s easy to enact “no dogs allowed” rules, and then the people who clean up suffer right along with the ones who don’t.

Dog excreta damages landscaping offends other tenants, and costs money to landlords and homeowners associations.

In markets where plenty of tenants are available to rent the property, landlords tend to eliminate dogs to get rid of these problems. It pays to not only clean up after your own dog, but others, too, whenever the poop is especially conspicuous.

Neighborhood disputes over dog poop can escalate into real misery. In some localities, it is illegal to allow your dog to relieve on someone else’s property unless you have that person’s permission. The very existence of such laws is an indication of how seriously people take the cleanup issue!

Dogs don’t like to eliminate in “contaminated” areas.

If you’ve ever tried to train a dog to use a litter box or even a certain location in your yard, you may have noticed that if a stool remains in the area, the dog will try to avoid that area to eliminate.  Keeping the area picked up help with housetraining.  It also keeps the dog cleaner since the dog won’t be stepping or playing in the mess on relief trips outside. A clean yard also gives both people and dogs a lot more exercise space.

Pick up after your dog.

There’s no place so isolated that you can be sure dog poop would not put some animal at risk of catching something from your dog or some person or animal at risk of stepping in the mess. Picking up is just part of having a dog. If everyone did it, there would be far fewer objections to dogs living and traveling in human communities.

Be proud to be seen picking up dog poop. It may seem silly at first, but people who see you do this will know any mess left behind is NOT from your dog. Picking up shows pride in your community, in yourself, and your dog. You set a great example for others, and you help create a brighter future for dogs and their people.

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