Who Gives a Poop?

Dog Waste Removal Blog - PooperScooperBusiness

Written by Steve Hall

Thursday, 17 July 2008 15:58

We Texans in general are misinformed on the subject of dog poop. When I mentioned to a Texas native that we had started a dog waste removal company in Dallas, she thought it was a great idea. Then she told me a story about the time she was walking her dog over at a school and someone told her to get the dog off the school grounds. The school defender told my friend that her dog was a "filthy animal" and shouldn't be allowed to poop on school grounds because children play there.

My friend was incensed. Not knowing my opinion on the subject, she told me, "I mean, dog poop is just fertilizer. When it's from a cow we put it on plants to make them grow." She didn't see anything wrong with letting her dog poop on school grounds where children play. It's a sad case of misinformation.

Fertilizer comes only from herbivores. Farmers themselves don't use dog poop for fertilizer. A) It has no nutritional value to plants because it is not made up of plant material. In other words, manure from cows is good for grass because it IS grass. B) Fecal organisms in dog waste can be absorbed by plants. Humans who eat those plants can become sick. So it's a genuine health hazard and the lists of diseases that can be transferred to humans by dog waste is long.

The problem isn't dog poop. The problem is misinformation.

Poop Facts 1

Transmission of Disease

Harmful diseases can be transferred to children

Harmful organisms that can be transmitted from pet waste to children and adults can persist for on the ground for weeks. And if it’s in the grass, it’s in your carpet, on your feet and in your bed. Fecal coliform and other bacteria found in dog waste can make people sick. Learn more...

Pet Waste Contamination of Water

EPA findings on the threat of pet waste on our water supply

While livestock are the greatest contributor of animal waste, perhaps the least suspected source of animal waste is man’s very own best friend. Pets, particularly dogs, are significant contributors to source water contamination. Learn more...

Poop Facts 2

What's the Fecal Matter with our Water?

With 1.2 million dogs in North Texas, the dog is now a major source of pollution

In the mid-1990s, scientists perfected methods for tracking the origin of nasty bacteria in streams and seawater. From Clearwater, Fla., to Arlington, Va., to Boise the trail has led straight to the hunched-up dog — and to owners who don't pick up after their pets. Learn more...

Sgt. Poopers Weekly Regimen

Sgt. Pooper will cleans up dog waste and keeps your yard spotless

After you schedule Sgt. Pooper’s cleaning, a service manager will come to your yard on a scheduled day, typically Monday through Friday, to meet your dog and clean your yard. We keep the mess clean and give you a healthier, beautiful yard. Learn more...

Poop Facts 3

Dog Poop is Sewage not "Fertilizer"

If you thought China, Peru or Russia was polluted, perhaps you should first check your backyard. With 1.2 million dogs in North Central Texas, that’s the sewage equivalent of a city the size of Dallas with no toilets. Local dogs produce some 900,000 pounds of sewage per day, much of it contaminating the environment, especially groundwater, area lakes and the Trinity River.

Learn more...

Poop Facts 4

The Open Sewer in your Backyard

Hidden in the midst of North Central Texas is a city with a population of 1.2 million. It’s as large as the city of Dallas itself, but without a single flushing toilet. That’s right. A metropolis equivalent to the 9th largest city in the United States but completely devoid of any sewage system other than “the backyard.”