Unpleasant but timely topic

[Mainecoons]

https://www.outsideonline.com/2292736/its-time-talk-about-dog-poop?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebookpost

Quote

We all know what we’re supposed to be doing. Leave No Trace says that appropriate behavior for dogs owners should, “…include both immediately picking up all of the waste, and immediately taking the bag(s) of waste away from the area for proper disposal in a trash or compost bin.”

And yet, the organization’s big dog poop study in Boulder found that only 73.5 percent of dog owners did so. The remaining 26.5 percent is responsible for the 60,000 pounds of poop left behind last year. 

 

I seriously doubt we come even close to that 73 percent figure.  I have yet to see one of these dog walkers many expats hire walking packs in the morning picking up anything.  Out of sight, out of mind?

Quote

Just like human poop, all that dog poop is full of nasty bacteria, and potentially even parasites. One gram of dog poop can contain up to 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, and dog poop is also a common carrier of whipworms, hookworms, roundworms, parvo, coronavirus, giardia, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and campylobacter.

You don’t want to drink any of those things, which is a problem, because rain runoff can wash dog poop right into water sources. A 2001 study conducted on Four Mile Run, a heavily polluted stream in northern Virginia, used DNA analysis to determine that 42 percent of the controllable bacteria load in the water came from dog poop.

And when the rainy season comes, this washes into our lake.

Wouldn't it be great if the local dog community that has done such a fabulous job on rescue, adoption, and spay and neuter would be proactive in dealing with this health menace to the entire community AND our pets?

 

[bmh]

a menace?? Are you also goiing to put put baskets undeer the burds, the cow the horses, rcoon and who knows what else??

[Mainecoons]

Please read the article, it deals with that common misconception.

Quote

Dogs, of course, aren’t the only animals that poop in the woods. But they are they only wood poopers that consume dog food. Where a wild animal is eating resources and nutrients from its ecosystem, then returning those same resources and nutrients to the same ecosystem, a dog is being fed extremely nutrient-rich foods from a bag, then depositing those alien nutrients into nature.

All the healthy nutrients in dog food result in poop that’s very rich in substances like nitrogen and phosphorous—the same ingredients you’ll find in fertilizer. The addition of that nutrient-rich poop to an ecosystem leads to an imbalance that, when it’s washed into water sources, can lead to algae blooms and promote the growth of invasive plant species on land. 

And again, the scale of the problem is simply massive. That polluted stream in Virginia is just 9.4 miles long, but its watershed contains an estimated 11,400 dogs, which produce 5,000 pounds of poop every day. That’s an awful lot of fertilizer and even more bacteria.

 

[MtnMama]

Rolls of small plastic litter bags would be a clever fund raiser for local shelters. I think we've sold them in the past. I will suggest we do it again.

I am embarrassed to admit I haven't even been able to train dear husband to pick up dog poop on his walks, and I have been trying for years.

Poco a poco

[Kiko]

My French mom always told me when I was growing up that in France it was good luck to step in dog shit with your left foot.  For some reason I keep stepping in it with my right foot.  Probably does not apply to Mexico though.

[bmh]

yes we believe it has to be the left foot and we also say "merde13" to say good luck.. go figure..

[Kiko]

We were in Mulhouse (sp?), France on a vacation some years ago and while walking around the city I was very impressed with their attitude to public pet poop management.  Throughout the walking area of the city we would find small sections of the sidewalk cordoned off with a tiny fence for the pets.  Inside the fenced area was either sand and/or grass.  These areas were about 1 meter x 1 meter and a low wood fence about .5 meter high to keep the humans out.  The sidewalks were wide something like 2.5 meters.   I know with the narrow sidewalks in Ajijic this option is limited in scope, but something to think about.  These areas could be strategically placed around the pueblo, for example at the malecon.  If nothing else, it will increase awareness of the problem.  

[bmh]

My lord! Do not give anyone ideas at City hall that probably would screw up the traffic for another year..

[HarryB]

If you see someone not picking up take their picture and put it on facebook. We always carry extra bags and offer them to those miscreants.

 

[bdlngton]

I don't like dog poop any more than the next person, especially when I step in it.  I do have a few questions though:

1.  When people do pick up their dog poop with a plastic bag, do they deposit it in a garbage can?  Does that garbage go to a landfill?  Is the runoff from a landfill less harmful than elsewhere because it is contained in that area, often in plastic bags?  Is the plastic bag adding to the deterioration of the environment because it will never disintegrate?

2.  Is the poop left by street dogs and the dogs owned by Mexicans who let them run free any less harmful?  I suspect a lot of the poop we encounter in the sidewalks is deposited by these free-roaming dogs.  What about cat poop?  Is it also harmful to the environment because of the ingredients in the food they are fed?  Granted cats don't poop on sidewalks but rather use flower beds and such and bury their poop, but does it contribute to the runoff mentioned above?  Does poopy cat litter placed in the garbage can in a plastic bag and hauled to the landfill contribute to the pollution?

3.  What does the law say about collecting dog poop?  Do those who employ dog walkers check to see if they collect poop?  What is the best way to dispose of poop to do the least harm to the environment?

I'm not trying to be contrary or controversial.  I'm just wondering what is the best way to get rid of dog poop and poopy cat litter while having the least impact on the environment.  Is there a good solution?

[ComputerGuy]

I don't think the point has anything to do with how we dispose of dog poop or our own garbage. It's about keeping our walkways clean.

[Xena]

Agree, CG. Bdlington should start a new thread rather than highjack this one.