Governmental EPA Guidelines On Why Your Dog Shouldn’t Use Lakes As A Toilet

If your dog sometimes confuses a lake with his/hers toilet, you should definitely read this!

These are the governmental EPA guidelines:

The Problem with your dog doing it’s business in lakes:

-Pet waste decays, using up dissolved oxygen and releasing compounds that are harmful to fish and other animals that rely on water.

-Pet waste contains nutrients that can cause excessive algae growth in a water river or lake, upsetting the natural balance.

-Pet waste contributes to bacterial contamination of our rivers, lakes and streams. Pet waste contains harmful bacteria such as E. Coli and fecal coliform. Waters that contain a high amount of bacteria such as E. Coli are unfit for human contact. A single gram of pet waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which can cause disease in humans.

If you want to be a responsible pet owner, does that mean you have to pick up their poop?

The bad news is… 

Yes, you do have to “scoop the poop” but it’s a small price to pay to protect our water quality.

The good news is…

Whether in your yard or walking your dog, you can easily do the right thing. Purchase a device made especially for the task or simply use a plastic bag. Then, just place the waste in a garbage can.

Everyone will be happier when you pick up after your pet! Also, who wants to step in it!?!

You might be asking yourself: “Why Should I Pick It Up?”

Pet waste left on sidewalks, streets, yards or other open areas can be washed away and carried by rainwater into storm drains to nearby rivers, lakes and streams and cause many problems.

Did You Know?

In 2001, there are an estimated 61.5 million dogs in the United States. That’s 6.3 billion pounds of poop per year! It would take a scoop 300 feet wide and 800 feet deep to dispose of all that poop!