Spurred by a recent comment by M. Takhallus on the ardors of picking up after a dog in the winter in Chicago and galvanized by what I’ve seen in some of my daily walks with the dogs lately I thought I’d wade into this topic.
I post fairly frequently about dogs here. Given that so much of my life these days revolves around dogs—feeding them, training them, exercising them, interacting with them, cleaning up after them, medicating them, buying for them, and so on—it’s surprising that I don’t post more on the subject.
We currently have five dogs, all Samoyeds, all closely related. Qila (11), Tally (8), Mira (3), and Will and Nola (5 months). That adds up to a lot of dog food and a lot of dog poop. I’d estimate something like 20-30 lb. per week.
Having both dogs and a lawn simultaneously without a dog run is a challenge. One of the ways by which we try to meet that challenge is by keeping the dog poop situation under control. We pick up at least once a day frequently more often, an activity for which we have various euphemisms. “Prize patrol†is a favorite, “clearing the area of landmines†is another. Or just plain “picking up the yardâ€.
I also walk the dogs frequently, walking at least four times daily for a total of between three and five miles per day. I always take multiple bags with me on these walks: one for picking up and one for a spare.
As a result of all of this activity I’ve been radicalized on the subject of dog poop. It really frosts my pumpkin when other people have left their own dogs’ waste around. But the real coup de grace was something I ran across the other day. One of my neighbors has obviously been making a practice of just dumping his dog’s waste over his fence to accumulate in the alley.
So, here’s my vent. Pick up after your darned dog. Take a bag with you. If you forget to bring a bag go back and pick up after the walk. There are any number of reasons for doing this.
Leaving your dog’s waste laying around is dirty, smelly, unsanitary, and attracts rats. It’s irresponsible and wrong to leave it for somebody else to take care of.
It’s being a good neighbor to take care of your own dog’s waste.
Failing to do so casts everyone with a dog—even those of us who are fastidious about cleaning up—into disrepute. It makes people who don’t much care for dogs or their mess angry at all dog owners.
And, at least here in Chicago, it’s against the law to leave your dog’s waste on city or private property. The parkway—that strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb—is city property and so is the alley. It’s punishable by a hefty fine.
So, be a conscientious dog owner, a good neighbor, and a good citizen. Pick up after your dog.
And then there’s the heartworm issue.
(Dog feces are the conduit for heartworm eggs.)
Unfortunately, leaving a mess for other people to clean up is a habit that is getting more prevalent by the year – and not just dog poop. I would venture that half-eaten fast food, thrown on the street, is just as antisocial and almost as insanitary – after all this encourages rats and pigeons, both well-known disease carriers.
Or throwing out garbage generally without proper disposal, for that matter. I saw an article yesterday about a Pacific island, a thousand miles from anywhere, where the beach is two metres deep in trash – plastic bottles, bits of fishing net, even discarded shoes. Hundreds of green turtles (an endangered species) die each year by eating plastic bags that they think are jellyfish.
Don’t make a mess if you can avoid it. If you must, clean it up. Simple? Sure. But far too many people don’t do it.
Of course, this leads to the subject of discharging poisonous cr*p into the air and water…