Half of the dog owners never clean up after…
In America almost half of North Carolina dog owners let the chips fall where they may and don’t clean up after their animals, according to a statewide survey of how people handle their dogs’ waste.
“It’s a big water-quality problem,” said Chrystal Bartlett, the state’s stormwater awareness and outreach coordinator. “It’s also an aesthetic problem.”
The state’s 1.8 million dogs deposit an estimated 681 tons of waste per day in the state, said Bartlett, who works for the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Chris Gonzalez, owner of Poop Away, said he has hauled away as much as 27 gallons of waste from a single yard. He hopes to expand his business from individual homes to subdivisions and apartments.
The survey conducted last year by the state and East Carolina University’s Center for Survey Research found that:
* People in the 35-54 age group are least likely to scoop the poop.
* Women are more likely than men to clean up after their dogs.
* Those who never or rarely pick up what their dogs leave behind were tallied at 59% in rural areas, 49% in the suburbs and 47% in cities.
Animal and bird excrement rank among the top polluters of bodies of water, said Rachel Noble, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Moorhead City. She said it’s possible that someone could become ill as a result of swimming in a pond contaminated with dog manure, although it’s unlikely.
Julie Packard, immediate past president of the N.C. Veterinary Medical Association, said contact with feces-borne parasites, such as hookworm and roundworm, can infect people. She said larvae left in the environment are longer lasting than the excrement. Efforts to combat the problem are being made by the state, as well as private organizations and individuals.
Jennifer Burch, community manager at Wakefield Plantation and other neighborhoods, said PPM, a Research Triangle property management company, has begun installing dog waste stations with bags and a trash can in new neighborhoods. Dog-walkers don’t always take the hint.
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