Why clean up after your dog outside?

Cleaning up feces is not the most pleasant thing to do. Anyone might be tempted not to, but leaving dog feces in a public place is not only bad for the environment and human health, but illegal in many areas. Why do you need to clean up after the dog on the street and how to do it?

Why clean up dog feces

Legal obligation

In many communities and municipalities, dog owners are required by law to clean up after their pets. Parks and public places usually have signs warning of this duty, and homeowners’ associations and homeowners’ associations often require their residents to clean up after the dog, even on their own lawn. Even if there are no such signs, and the HOA does not require compliance with the rules, the city or region may have laws and regulations requiring pet owners to clean up after their pets in public places.

Dog poo is not fertilizer

Some people believe that dog waste on the lawn is good for the soil. However, the truth is that dog feces are toxic to grass. Unlike cow dung, which is grass compost, regular dog feces, which oxidize through natural digestion and function microbiome, capable of destroying the grass underneath them. For this reason, dog feces should also not be used in compost or to fertilize your own garden beds. In both cases, they contain bacteria that can infect your vegetables.

Environmental pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency specifically describes dog waste as containing two types of contaminants: nutrients and pathogens. Dog waste that is washed into waterways can carry pathogens that infect water creatures and cause disease in people who come into contact with them. In addition, nutrients excreted from dog feces can encourage the growth of algae and other plants, making the water unsuitable for swimming.

Infection with various diseases

Even if the dog does not show any symptoms of the disease, bacteria and parasites can be present in its waste that is harmful to other pets and people. You don’t have to come into physical contact with the feces to become infected — the disease-causing bacteria they contain can be carried by flies or other pets that come into contact with them, reports iHeartDogs. According to PetHelpful, the following disease-causing and infectious organisms can be found in dog feces:

• roundworms;
• salmonella;
• E. coli;
• lamblia;
• Leptospira;
• parvovirus;
• coliform bacteria.

Ecosystem imbalance

It may seem that your pet’s feces can not cause much harm to the environment. However, it is worth remembering that feces are left by hundreds of dogs in the area. iHeartDogs notes that while an ecosystem can typically process the waste of about two dogs per square kilometer, urban areas average about 125 dogs per square kilometer. This is more than enough to upset the balance of the local ecosystem. By cleaning up after their pet, owners help protect the ecosystem.

Unpleasant odor

Dog poo left in parks, on walkways, and even on neighborhood lawns can quickly accumulate to the point where the smell becomes unbearable. Even in the countryside, the plume of an overabundance of dog poop in the garden can easily ruin a Sunday afternoon in the hammock.

common courtesy

If the owner has ever had to scrape dog excrement from the soles of shoes, he is well aware that such a “surprise” can ruin the whole day. Considering how dog waste affects the environment and human health, we can safely say that owners who clean up after their dogs are not only responsible owners, but also considerate neighbors. Besides, it’s just decent.

How to clean dog feces from grass

The process of cleaning up after the dog, as a rule, is not difficult. All you need to do is collect the waste products of your pet in a disposable bag and dispose of them in a bin or trash can. To do this, you can reuse plastic bags from the store or a more eco-friendly option – biodegradable bags, which are sold at any pet store.

In more complex cases, such as loose stools or diarrhea, Family Handyman recommends using compressed air to freeze the faeces before cleaning them up. You can also sprinkle a small amount of lumpy cat litter on the feces to make it easier to clean up. Thereafter cuteness recommends treating the stain with a disinfectant to kill any bacteria or viruses that may have been left on the ground.

It is important to always use a product that is safe for the dog and keep the pet away from the treatment site until the product is completely absorbed. If there is any chance of contact with feces, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Yes, cleaning up after your dog can feel like a chore, but it’s a minor inconvenience compared to the price of neglecting this responsibility. By taking a minute to clean up after their pet, the owner is really making a small but important contribution to saving the world.

See also:

• Difficulties of walking the dog in winter
• Where can you go with a dog: we take a pet with us
• How to wean a dog to urinate on the lawn
• If the dog eats feces