Don’t let the Dogs Curb you!

The great poet Langston Hughes wrote in a Montage of a Dream Deferred: “Curb your doggie Like you ought to do, But don’t let that dog curb you!”

Curbing your dog should be considered an archaic term long ago used to mean canine waste disposal in such a way people don’t step on it. Sadly that really meant let it go in the gutter so it could be swept down the sewer. A curbed dog is one who’s been taught to poop in the street, right by the curb, so that the next rainstorm can sweep his deposits into the nearest gutter. Once in a city’s sewer system it will eventually make its way into nearby waters. Scientists have been able to fingerprint DNA to match bacteria found in water to specific animals, revealing that dogs are a significant contributer of bacteria. Dog waste ranks third or fourth in waterway pollution.

Dog poop contamination on the ground isn’t just gross it’s also a way to pass intestinal parasites and infections to both people and other dogs. US dogs leave millions of tons of uncollected poop a year, shame on all those inconsiderate dogs! In Mexico City, according to Grist.org “More than 2 million dogs live in Mexico City’s inner Federal District and deposit at least 353 tons of waste a day, the vast majority of which is not scooped up by pet owners.” The dog poop dries and eventually contributes to significant air borne particles and bacterial pollution.

The problem of irresponsible and ignorant dog owners not picking up dog poop turns people against dogs and more anti-dog rules pass legislation. That means more “no dogs allowed” signs, fewer dog parks, leash-free areas, etc. Which can result in many dogs getting less exercise, become more neurotic and less social with other dogs - which may further aggravate anti-dog sentiment when the resulting bad behaviors show up.

We wrote an extensive article here on Great Green Pet on this issue a few months ago with many eco-friendly solutions to this issue, including the advantages of compositing dog poop.

Another solution that you will want to consider is offered at PoopBags.com who make a biodegradable dog poop bag, made from corn, they claim meets the highest standards for biodegradability, ASTM D6400. They also state it biodegrades at the same rate as an apple would. A one month supply of these bags (50) are $12.45 and 3 month (200) is $26.95 For a couple of bucks you can order a sampler of 5.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 2:53 pmand is filed under Dogs, eco-friendly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.