About two weeks ago, I saw @Pickupthatpoop was not only following me on Twitter, they were reading my humorous, touching memoir about pets called Something Furry Underfoot. @Pickupthatpoop’s singular cause is to get people to pick up their dogs’ poop. And since they’re helping me out, I figured the least I could do is to write something to help them. This posting is to let everyone know why it’s important to pick up your dog’s poop.
See, dog poo contains bacteria E. Coli bacteria, which on a web site called Giantmicrobes.com–home of some very cute stocking stuffers–looks like this.
So, if you don’t pick up your dog’s poop and your neighbor or their dog steps in it, then you’re exposing them to E. Coli. Oh sure, dog poop can be washed off shoes and hands with water and anti-bacterial soap, but why expose people to something that may result in nausea and other related problems?
Now, for those that poo-poo E. Coli please note the other scary things in dog poop. Say your dog has kennel cough and you leave your dog’s poo where others are exposed to it. Your neighbors’ dogs could pick up this cute little fella, called bordetella. Wouldn’t that make you feel kind of bad?
Dog poop might also contain giardia (a.k.a beaver fever), which will get your neighbors’ guts in knots and provide them quality time in their bathroom.
And it can contain Salmonella,which will provide your neighbors the pleasure of feeling sickly at both ends, so to speak.
And then there’s my personal favorite, a tapeworm, which allows your neighbor to eat a lot but steals all their nutrients and can migrate to their brain and kill them.
Now, I know there are few people who are not bothered by passing a few microbes to their neighbors, and to them I ask consideration of the environment, because the bacteria from dog poop can contribute to E. coli in our lakes and streams. Too much E. Coli in our lakes and streams may make it so that you–and your dog–shouldn’t swim in said lake or stream. And what’s more fun than that?
Finally, for those of you who still think I’m full of poo, I offer you this:
- People don’t like stepping in dog poop. Ever.
- Dogs don’t like stepping in dog poop. Mostly ever (okay, some dogs do roll in gross things, but let’s move on).
- People shouldn’t have to look where they are walking to avoid your dog’s poo.
- While there is no reward in this life for picking up your dog’s poo, it’s the right thing to do. For people, for pets, for the environment.
To help support this effort, not only can you pick up after your own dog, you can follow my new pal at www.Twitter.com/@pickupthatpoop AND go to www.pickupthatpoop.com where you’ll see information about picking up dog poop, and biodegradable poop bags, metal yard signs, and–coming soon–t-shirts. Something Furry Underfoot and those cute microbes at Giantmicrobes.com also make great presents for the holidays.
Now go walk your dog, and do the right thing. Thank you!