Prior to adopting a dog, most people don't give much thought to
the task of
poop cleanup. Once the dog has joined the
family and the need becomes apparent, some people tend to avoid cleaning
up. This can lead to problems.
Reasons
to Pick Up
Dog waste contaminates the
ground and becomes a means of passing intestinal parasites and infections
to dogs and people. Your own dog can be repeatedly reinfested by parasites
in this way. Picking up the feces prevents a great deal of the
contamination, especially if diarrhea is not involved. Cleanup can reduce
veterinary expenses and might even save on human doctor
bills.
Because of contamination as well as 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.
If happiness for you is being able to
have your dog live with you in an apartment or condominium, be
conscientious about cleaning up. Dog waste damages landscaping, offends
other tenants, and costs money to landlords and homeowners associations. In
markets where there are plenty of tenants 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!
If you've ever tried to have a
pleasant outdoor meal next door to a yard contaminated with foul-smelling
dog feces, you have some idea of how quality of life can be affected by
cleanup neglect. If you've found your lawn mower stinking up the tool
shed because of dog feces on the mower blades after mowing your own yard
where someone else's dog deposited poop, you surely weren't
pleased.
Keeping the yard
clean
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.
Ways and Means
Various tools are available for picking up dog waste. Some
people use a shovel, and may bury the waste in the yard. If you want to
dispose of the waste outdoors, a septic or other sewage disposal system may
do a better job of handling potentially infectious material.
Scooper tools can make the job easier. These are usually
lighter in weight than a shovel and more customized for the pickup task.
You can tote along a bucket or bag to save steps.
A simple plastic bag slipped over your hand like a glove makes
an efficient and completely clean pickup tool. A latex glove is also
useful. A wide variety of bags will work, making this one way to recycle.
Simply pick up the poop, turn the bag inside out to enclose it, tie the
top, and deposit it in a legal container. This system works well on outings
as well as at home.
If bending is difficult for
you, a long-handled scooper tool may be your better choice. Some of these
are designed to work with disposable bags. There are quite a few different
tools designed for picking up poop.
In many
communities, you can hire a service to pick up dog poop from your yard on a
regular schedule. If there's not a service near you and you're an
enterprising person, it could make a great business for you.
You can make pickup easier with how you manage your dog.
Though you need to always be ready to pick up on outings and walks, many
dogs will learn to relieve themselves at home before and after walks if
consistently given the chance. That saves you having to carry it
home.
Keeping the elimination to certain areas
can help the dog be more social on outings, too. Some dogs will defend
territory they have marked by urinating and defecating. Getting your dog to
do this at home instead of on your walk can have a positive effect on the
dog's attitude toward other dogs and people on walks.
If your outings are long and the dog needs to eliminate before
you get back home, you may be able to teach your dog to eliminate on cue.
Dogs vary in how their bodies work for elimination. Some will be so
stimulated by exercise that they simply must move their bowels on every
walk. This is just the way they are made, not a training
issue.
Be Proud
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 would do 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 in 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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