Poop.
Imagine how many tons of dog poop winds up being improperly disposed of each year. It certainly would be millions...
Until recently, dog poop wasn't considered a huge biological hazard, except for in rare cases causing a disease called Toxicarias. Scientists are now reconsidering that notion after having made disturbing discoveries such as bacteria levels being so high at some beaches that people have to stay out of the water. One of the culprits that has been found to significantly raise the bacteria levels is dog poop.
It's not just from the nuggets on the beaches, but runoff from stormwater drains after that water has come into contact with the poop. Some of the bacteria harbored in dog poo includes E. coli, fecal coliform bacteria, salmonella and giardia.
Dog poop can also spread worms, fleas, and is gross to step in.
The Doggy Potty
The other alternative aside from burying it in your garden or dumping dog poop into your bin is to consider installing a dog toilet, aka a doggy loo. These are special buckets with holes in the bottom you place into the ground on a bed of stones and then add an enzyme to which will break down the poop. When the bucket is full, you simply pour water into it and the broken down materials will flush away. There's no risk to your plants, you can have the bucket hidden away in your garden.
You can buy a doggy loo already made up or create one yourself for just a few dollars using these very simple instructions. If you can't find the septic treatment starter they recommend on the page, even active enzyme drain cleaner will do... it just consists of the "good" bacteria needed and is available at just about any hardware store. If you get the pellets, I'd recommend about a teaspoon dissolved in a cup of water thrown in every month or so to keep the bacteria colony fresh.
When walking your dog...
Most of us have seen it happen, somebody walking their dog and Fido decides to take a dump - and the owner doesn't clean up afterwards. More responsible folk carry plastic bags with them, which is great, but unfortunately standard plastic bags aren't all that earth friendly and take years to break down.
There are now biodegradable/degradable bags on the market designed just for this purpose. Some companies even produce types of 100% degradable dog waste bags that break down when subjected to light, heat and or moisture. These are somewhat different to biodegradable bags that rely on living micro-organisms to break down.
In short, being curteous to your neighbors and fellow dog-walkers, park goers, and friends is the goal of this note. It's just plain shitty to leave your dog poo laying around.
