VITAL REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG

Reasons Why You Should Clean Up After Your Dog

Here are some important reasons why you should pick up your pet’s waste:

• It’s ugly
• It smells
• It’s messy
• It’s the right thing to do
• It pollutes the environment
• It attracts pests and parasites
• It contaminates water (rivers, streams, lakes and our oceans)
• Bacteria in waste can endanger humans, pets, wildlife, birdlife and marine life
• It’s high in nitrogen and phosphorus which promote weed and algae growth in water

Diseases Associated with Animal Faeces

Several diseases can be transmitted from dogs to humans via faeces.

• E. coli
• Giardia
• Coccidia
• Parvovirus
• Salmonella
• Toxocariasis
• Canine coronavirus
• Cryptosporidium
• Campylobacter
• Roundworms
• Hookworms
• Whipworms

One gram of dog waste can contain up to 23 million faecal coliform bacteria.

Tips for Picking Up & Discarding Pet Waste

• Buy dog waste bags
• Pay attention to when your dog has to go and be ready
• Pick up one extra dog poop that doesn’t belong to your dog
• Take extra bags and offer them to pet parents who fail to pick up their pet’s waste
• Encourage others to clean up after their pets with a sign and free bags outside your home
• Find out if there’s a company in your area that picks up and properly disposes of pet waste
• Don’t go for doggy walks without a way to remove waste from the environment
• Don’t use compost in your garden that contains pet waste

Also find out what your municipality expects of you, for example:

Under Auckland Council’s Dog Management Bylaw 2019, you must immediately remove your dog’s waste from a public place and dispose of it appropriately. If you don’t, you may get a $300 fine.

(1) When in a public place or premise dog owners must ensure the immediate removal and disposal of their dog’s faeces. This must be done in a way that does not cause a nuisance.

(2) Subclause (1) does not apply to a premise occupied by the owner.

(3) Subclause (1) does not apply to any dog herding or driving stock on a road where the dog is kept solely or principally for the purposes of herding or driving stock.

Christchurch City Council Dog Control Policy 2016 states:

3.3 Carrying the means of removing dog faeces in public places

The person in charge of a dog must carry the means of picking up and removing any fouling (dog faeces) when in a public place (for example, plastic bags).

3.4 Removing dog faeces from public places

The person in charge of a dog must remove any fouling (dog faeces) that their dog produces and dispose of it in a hygienic manner (e.g. in a red wheelie bin or Council rubbish bin). The requirement to remove dog faeces applies not only to public places, but also to land that is not the dog owner’s land.

DID YOU KNOW? 1 to 7 April is International Pooper Scooper Week!

In 2008, the first week of April was declared International Pooper Scooper Week. Its purpose is to spread awareness of a rising problem and educate pet parents on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs. #PooperScooper Week

Do Your Part as Pet Parent

From 1 to 7 April AND BEYOND, let’s commit to being better pooch parents by picking up and discarding waste properly.