We all love our furry best friends. They bring so much joy to our day-to-day lives. However, not every part of being a pet owner is luxurious, including picking up after them.
Dogs produce just under a pound of waste per day. When not picked up, this waste can take up to 12 months to fully break down. So, over a month or a year, you may see how overwhelming a buildup of your dog's poop may become and how harmful it can be to the environment. With that in mind, we present you with some of the most important reasons to pick up after your pet and some suggested methods to do so.
Reasons to Pick Up After Your Dog
It Can Be Harmful to the Environment
Regardless of your pet's health, bacteria, worms, and other parasites thrive in your pet's waste. If it gets washed away by rainwater, it can flow into drainage systems or end up in lakes, streams, and rivers.
The disease-causing bacteria and parasites from your pet's waste can be extremely harmful to your community and environment once it enters the water supply.
You can avoid this by not letting your dog poop within 200 feet of a body of water or by being diligent in picking up after them.
It Can Be Harmful to You or Your Neighbors
Our yards are more than just an outhouse for our pets – it is also a place for entertaining guests, playing with our kids, and more. The last thing we want is to be avoiding our pet's waste while we are having fun.
Additionally, children in your yard may be crawling or rolling around. Dog feces carry easily transferable dangers upon contact, including Giardia, ringworm, roundworm, and E. coli. If they encounter left behind waste with these dangers, it can be extremely dangerous and may get them sick.
Other pets who are welcomed into your yard may also come in contact with your pet's leftover waste. If they eat or roll around in the waste, it can be just as harmful to them as well.
It Can Be Harmful to Your Pet
When your pet becomes sick, contagions are often passed through their deposits into your yard. The longer your dog's infected waste stays on the ground, the greater the contamination becomes and the higher chance your dog has to potentially catch the infection again.
Roundworm, for example, is one of the most common parasites found in dog waste, and it can remain infectious in contaminated soil and water for years. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), Americans spent more money on their pets in 2020 than ever before. In fact, owners spent $99 billion on their pets, nearly $9 billion more than two years prior. Vet care makes up $30.2 billion of that total.
Pet owners don't want to see their furry friends sick, so picking up after them can help avoid persistent illnesses and vet visits.
It Can Be Harmful to Your Lawn
People may think their pet's waste could be helpful to the growth of their lawn, just like cow manure. However, dog poop is nothing like cow manure and instead contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which causes your lawn to be brown over time.
Cleaning It Up
There are many ways to clean up your dog's waste, so you can pick a solution that works best for you:
Use a Poop Bag
The first solution is picking it up with poop bags and disposing of it in the trash. This solution is very popular with owners who bring their pets on walks and need a portable option. There are many types of poop bags for sale and even biodegradable bags that are better for the environment.
Use a Pooper Scooper
Another solution is to pick up your pet's poop with a tool, like a Pooper Scooper, and disposing of it in the trash or by flushing it down the toilet.
Some pet owners hate picking up after their dog because of its smell, which is why they have resulted to using products that freeze the poop before tossing it in the trash.
Hire a Pooper Scooper Service
Finally, you can always outsource the job. Let pet waste removal companies, like us at DoodyCalls, clean your yard. Whether you need a one-time clean or want to step a routinely scheduled clean, we are happy to help. DoodyCalls proudly scoops over 10 million doggie deposits every year and is the country's leading provider of pooper scooper services.
Learn more about our residential services and find a DoodyCalls location near you today!