Forty percent of dog owners don’t pick up after their dogs, so why should you?
The average dog produces ¾ pound a poop a day X 83 million dogs in America = 10.6 million tons of dog crap each year.
Watch my speech on this topic that won me second place at the Daniel Wright Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest.
As an environmental consultant specializing in testing water quality of lakes and streams, dog poop (or any warm-blooded animal poop for that matter—soiled baby diapers, goose droppings, etc.) that washes into a lake or stream is a major contaminant.
Dog poop can cause:
- Elevated bacteria levels in lakes, ponds, and streams, causing stomach upset if ingested. Public swimming beaches are tested for E. coli bacteria during the swimming season, but testing is infrequent, spotty, and the results inconsistent.
- One poopy baby diaper can close a swimming beach.
- Bacteria levels escalate after a heavy rain then drop within a day as they follow a boom and bust cycle. Don’t go swimming within 24 hours of a heavy storm. The current laboratory methods don’t have the test results until a day later. In the meantime, your family could be swimming in contaminated water.
- Nutrients from dog droppings can increase algae growth in lakes.
- Parasites like giardia and cryptosporidium. Giardia causes intestinal cramping and severe explosive diarrhea for several WEEKS.
Dog poop on your lawn can cause:
- Parasites such as worms that can get your family sick by walking barefoot in the grass where your dog went.
- Some diseases can transfer from animals to people; these include Salmonellosis, hookworms, ringworms, as well as infections from Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter, and Giardia.
If people only knew how bad dog poop is for the environment and for their families, many more would comply.
Education is critical.
So will you pick up your dog’s poop?
I want to print this (x 100) and hand it to all the disrespectful dog owners I see not picking up. Manners don’t seem to matter. Perhaps they will take notice of the bigger picture.
Good luck! Many people can’t get past the ick factor and figure someone else will clean up after their dog. If only they knew that this could close their favorite beach!
Great post! I can’t stand when people don’t pick up after their dogs! If I am going to lug around mastiff poop on a two mile walk, then they can darn well pick up after their small dog. I will say, now that Sulley and Junior are raw fed, they hardly poop at all anymore which is wonderful. I loved your speech! I took a Dale Carnegie class many years ago and had to stand up an give speeches like this. Such great experience!!
Thank you. I’m using compostable poop bags now, so I have to carry the poop all the way back home. I didn’t know that raw food makes them poop less. I’m glad you liked my speech. I haven’t tried Dale Carnegie, but Toastmasters is close by and my work pays my dues!
Congratulations on winning 2nd place! I think back to 50+ years ago when we never thought about picking up poop! Times and knowledge have really changed.
Yep. I was told by my parents not to pick it up when I was a kid!
Great speech! We always pick up our dog poop, but always see piles while on our walks. I can’t understand why people think that is okay. Keep spreading the word of the importance!
People just don’t realize that it is a major pollutant. I think if they did, they’d pick up a lot more.
40%?? Really? That’s a crazy amount of people who don’t pick up after their dogs! It’s such an easy thing to do to prevent spreading of diseases.
I pick up after Mr. N. There is the rare occasion where I can’t find it even after a few minutes of searching and I’ll pick up other poop I see with the next bag as a way of making up for it. I know it’s terrible for the environment plus I don’t want to step on it so I doubt other people do either!
Yeah, it’s a challenge especially when there are a lot of leaves or at night. I’m probably one of the few dog walkers that use a flashlight to find it.
OOh I need you to tell this to the fool with the vary large dog that dumped a pile of ‘poop’ in our cul-de-sac! Thank you for the storm information I had no idea and will take a lot of care if we have a summer storm!
Well done Sandra, you are amazing in the video!
Thank you for your kind words about my video. Someone actually dumped a pile of poop! How gross! Someone should shovel it up and put it on his front porch!
Another reason to pick up dog poop is so other dogs don’t eat it. Not that other dogs do that… nobody I know… but still 🙂
My dogs love to eat poop. We think it’s gross, but apparently, it’s not that bad for them – unless they catch something.
My humom always picks up my poop!! She hates it when she sees all this dog poop everywhere when we go into the trails or to the dog park. It’s so gross! She’s even stepped in it before! She thinks that if people can’t pick up after their dogs, they shouldn’t own one!
Wow this was very informative. First, you did a great job speaking. You look like it comes naturally. Second, great information. I had no idea 40% of owners did not pick up their dog’s poop. I never owned a dog, just cats so I can appreciate the fact they poop in a box and cover their own mess. Great job and thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed my speech. I never owned a cat, but I had a rabbit. Although he pooped in his litterbox, he liked to poop under the desk too. When we moved it – there was a huge mess!
Great video, it is both scary and disgusting when you learn these facts!! I can’t believe 40% of people don’t scoop the poop! When I see it around my neighborhood it makes me so mad. I didn’t even know Giardia could be contracted by humans. OMG, if I actually saw anyone let their dog poop on my lawn and walk away, I would Lose It!! This is such an important message, I’m sharing this post everywhere.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Wow, I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I had Giardia once and NEVER want to get it again!
You presented a humorous but serious presentation that should convince the other 40% to pick up after their pets. Some people never will…there is a demographic that either is too feeble in the body to stoop and pick it up or too feeble in the mind to understand the consequences of not picking up their dog’s poop. I am happy to be in the 60% that picks up poop.
Good point about some people not being physically able to pick up after their dogs, but I would imagine that they also can’t walk their dogs. Then the damage is only in their yard. This is what my mom did. Then a couple of times a week my brother or I would visit and pick it up. People could also hire professional pooper scoopers!
I do not understand why people don’t pick up after their dog! On top of being environmentally unfriendly, it gives a bad name to other dog owners – even the ones like me that pick up each and every time!