The Perils of Poop

Editors Note: In recent posts, we've preached, cajoled and hopefully humorously entertained LSPOA members on the precarious navigation of our Lido Shores streets,  all too frequently littered with dog poop. Reviewing past LSPOA administrations and their subsequent newsletters over the years, it's apparently a subject that never gets old, or, for that matter (not fecal), taken care of. Herewith, yet another admonition on the perils of poo. ~BT

Tracking Down The Poo

By guest author Gregg Flowers

Bagging poop goes along with having a dog. Sorry, it's just part of the deal. Of course, no one is in love with the idea of being in close proximity to dog feces, but many of us responsible pet owners are used to walking our dog and having a bag of fresh dog doo in our pocket.

Don't feel like picking up your dog's poop? You're not alone. A recent survey by the Center for Watershed Protection found that 41 percent of respondents rarely or never cleaned up after their dogs. Their reasons include: "Because it eventually goes away," "Small dog, small poop," and "Just because," but in my opinion, not picking up after your dog is rude, irresponsible, your neighbors hate you for it and it poses a very real and well documented health threat.

Dog waste contaminates our soil and ground water, period. Scientists have determined that all dogs harbor "coliform bacteria" that live in their intestines. (That includes your little princess Fluffy, too.) The coliform bacterial group includes the ever popular E. coli bacteria, which can produce potentially lethal toxins, especially to young children or the elderly. In other words, E.coli can kill ya. Dogs also carry salmonella and giardia. Salmonella bacteria can live on the ground for more than two years. Freezing temperatures won't kill it and summer heat won't either, unless the temperature gets up to about 130 degrees. Salmonella has to degrade over time for it to die.

Although there's a county ordinance against leaving dog waste on the ground, it's not strictly enforced. (How could it be?) Apartment, condo and townhome complexes commonly have poop scooping rules but trying to track down offenders is often the bane of apartment and condo management.

Enter a new industry right out of CSI to identify dog poop outlaws: DNA testing of dog waste. One outfit's slogan is "We're No. 1 in the No. 2 business," and the science is so accurate, not only can a community manager determine these droppings belong to a beagle, but that they belong to the beagle in apartment 3C! Why do we even need this type of technology today? Because apparently (according to the above referenced survey, anyway) many dog owners don't think they have to pick up after their pet.

l raised two children, so l've changed 10,000 diapers. It just doesn't seem to be that big of a deal to put my hand in a plastic bag, bend down and pick up my dog's poop. I do it for two reasons. It makes me a better citizen and it's better for the environment. The "poo-prints" business has proven successful to that end because it keeps people honest if they know their dog can be unequivocally identified, and they'll be fined for not doing the right thing in the first place.

Heck, I'd rather make friends with carrying dog doo in my pocket!

Gregg Flowers founded his business, Dog's Best Friend, where he "teaches dogs and trains people." Gregg reports that some of his best friends growing up were dogs and that he first became fascinated with the way dogs think and act as a boy in the 1960s watching his uncle silently direct a German Shepherd using only hand signals. Email Gregg: dogteacher7@aol.com