Pet owners across Montgomery County are responsible for picking up their pet’s waste when in public areas and at home. Pet waste is unpleasant to look at or step in and it does not smell good. Not only does picking up your pet’s waste ensure parks, sidewalks, and lawns are pretty, it also ensures that other residents and pets are healthy and that local streams are clean.
Dog poop contains countless different bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be dangerous to other pets, wildlife, and people. A common misconception is that dog poop can be used as fertilizer, much like cow manure. Dogs’ diet and digestive systems are vastly different from cows’, so their poop when left behind does more bad than good due to its content.
Pet waste left behind can be tracked home if residents or other pets step in it, putting them at risk of illness. Pet waste not tended to can also runoff into local streams and rivers when it rains, contaminating the water. Streams and rivers with elevated levels of bacteria can harm people who use them for recreational or drinking purposes as well as harm local birds, fish, and animals that live and feed in these habitats.
Residents must regularly pick-up after their pets in parks and in their own yards instead of leaving waste behind. When a dog poops, scoop it, bag it (tying tightly), and dispose of the baggie in a trash bin or designated pet waste station. A good way to save money while cleaning up after pets is to reuse plastic grocery produce bags, newspaper bags, bread and bagel bags for collecting poop.
Remember it is our collective responsibility to keep our land and water clean and our friends, family members, and pets healthy.
Pick up poop and be proud!
Learn more about pet waste.
Guest blog by: Emma Frank, Summer 2020 DEP Watershed Restoration intern.
Images courtesy of Emma Frank