Pets
Pick up your pet's poop people. That's all I have to say on the topic.
Forum Discussion
rbpru wrote:
As far as environmental impact is concerned, given the tens of thousands of raccoons, coyote, squirrels and other denizens of the wild that are found at the State Parks; dog manure is no different. The problem is, dog droppings are found where people tread. Also, of necessity we limit their travels, concentrating the "drop zone". Hence we need to pick up after our pets.
To not do so is rude, but so are some people.
Domestic dog waste is indeed different from wildlife waste. Even the waste of wolves and coyotes. Dogs have a digestive system designed to take on just about anything, but this also makes their poop pretty toxic for starters. Often dog waste contains bacteria, parasites, viruses, and other harmful organisms. A lot of these organisms are easily transmitted to wildlife, children, and it eventually ends up in nearby watersheds.
That's why it's a good idea to scoop the poop even at home. Because of the diets that we feed dog, their waste doesn't decompose nearly as quickly as wild animals. So these little land mines can hang around for quite awhile, waiting for a human or animal to step into it.
