The Scoop on Poop

 I know, I know, this is not exactly a glamorous post. Nobody likes to talk about poop, unless you are my children! But recently, I got into a discussion with a friend on why it is important for doggy daycares to clean up dog waste (including urine) immediately. Contrary to popular belief, dog poop is not a natural fertilizer. Quite the opposite, it is one of the top contributors to water pollution. The EPA has deemed that dog poop can be as toxic to the environment as chemical and oil spills. Our waste water treatment systems are not designed to filter dog waste and 1 gram of dog feces is estimated to have 23 million fecal bacteria. This includes:





  • Campylobacteriosis (symptoms: fever, vomiting and swollen lymphnodes.)
  • Salmonellosis (symptoms: fever, shock, lethargy, dehydration and more.)
  • Toxocarisis...aka.. roundworms (symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea and worms in feces.)
  • Coccidia (symptoms: bloody diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.)
  • Cysticerosis (symptoms: anemia and anorexia.)
  • E-coli, Giardia and Parvo (symptoms: diarrhea and vomiting.)
These bacteria can contaminate our beaches, lakes, streams and drinking water by seeping into the soil. It is recommended that dog owners clean their own yards every 1-7 days in order to keep bacteria at bay. Our natural ecosystem can handle about 2 dogs per square mile. A daycare has WAY more dogs than that and cross contamination can occur very easily. Dogs can step in it, roll in it.... EAT it.  In fact, if fecal matter is not properly taken care of it can linger in the soil for years. Then humans can come in contact with it through gardening, walking barefoot in the yard, playing sports, ect... This kicks off a harmful cycle that can affect your human family and pets.

Let's face it, no one likes to pick up dog waste. It's gross. And in the winter, it is easy to just let your dog outside to do business while you stay warm inside. But, then it snows..and freezes... and snows again... and you can't find your dog poop. In the spring you have a big toxic wasteland. That's REALLY gross. When looking for a doggy daycare, check the cleanliness of their yard and ask about their dog waste policy. If you notice piles of dog poop everywhere or urine all over the floor, this is a big red flag for the facility. In addition, all yards should have snow shoveled on a regular basis. Lastly, all yards should have a proper drainage system installed underneath the turf. Turf SHOULD NOT just be laying directly on top of the ground without proper drainage. To read more about that, please click here.

Let's all do our part to keep ourselves, pets and environment healthy!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8 DIY Enrichment Games for the Canine Mind

Image
As winter continues on, we all try to ward off the winter blues by taking our handful of vitamin D daily and watching endless hours of Netflix. Sometimes, we take hikes in the winter wonderland...or there is skiing...or ice climbing.  But let's face it, winter is a time of hibernation and cabin fever can take it's toll. A dog's mental health can suffer. While you can go skiing and ice climbing, a dog can't. They get bored when mental and physical exercise are not consistent. And a bored dog equals a mischievous dog. Luckily, humans are also a creative species and below I have found a bunch of DIY enrichment games for dogs. So start crafting away the winter canine blues! What you see above is a "snuffle pad". You can purchase these or make them. The picture above is a snuffle pad from an Etsy store: FleeceBeWithYou . The price of these mats vary depending upon size and weight ($9.00- $50.00) Snuffle pads are also fairly easy to make, but can b...
Read more

DIY Enrichment Games For Your Dog

Image
Because we have a great Enrichment Program , I thought it would be fun to post some enrichment games you can make for your dog at home:  Image: Yes Missy The Muffin Tin Game is somewhat like Hide-and-Go-Seek, but with treats instead of humans. It's pretty simple and easy to put together. You just grab a muffin pan, and place a few treats in random indentations in the pan. Then, place tennis balls over all the indentations. You dog needs to A) figure out how to get the balls out and B) figure out which indentations hold the treats. A full tutorial can be found here: Yes Missy . Image: The Nerd's Wife This enrichment game was found on The Nerd's Wife and will keep your dog entertained for hours. I do want to write a little disclaimer: The Nerd's Wife tutorial on how to make this enrichment toy also endorses Purina Beyond Pet Food. Though Bark City thinks this is an awesome idea for an enrichment toy, we are not endorsing Purina Beyond.... Because, well... ...
Read more

Dog Collar Safety In Daycares

Image
At Bark City, we have a "No Collar Rule" while the dogs are in the daycare. When two dogs are playing and have collars on, they can quickly become entangled. Teeth, jaws and feet can get caught.  Once the entanglement happens, things can escalate quickly. A dog can start to panic: twisting, turning and pulling to get free. This can result in an injury to the area of the body that is trapped. In addition, there is the risk of the twisted collar on the dog cutting off the oxygen supply resulting in asphyxiation. Outside of a dog care facility, collar safety is a must for owners as well. There are three basic types of collars: Each collar serves a different purpose and should be used at the appropriate time. I am using examples found on 2 Hounds Design , simply because they had images of the three types of collars I am want to discuss: This type of collar is called a Martingale Collar and is often used with dogs that have a smaller head than neck. Owners often use the...
Read more