The District Magazine Volume 1 Issue 1, 2016 | Page 28

PICK UP YOUR

DOG’S POO
Really… No “Seriously”

Dog waste does not vanish in the rain, it’s not great for grass as fertilizer and it can’t be
composted. Unlike herbivores (an animal that feeds on plants), a dog’s diet is made up of mainly
animal products, making their waste improper for compost bins.
It is classified as an environmental pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency and
when it washes into nearby waterways it can and will make people, wildlife and other dogs sick.
Dog poo carries a vast variety of harmful bacteria and not the good kind used to make yogurt.
One gram of poo can host 23 million fecal coli form bacteria along with every bad worm there
is: roundworm, hookworms, tape and heartworms. Cramps, kidney disorders, severe intestinal
illness, are just a few ways it can affect humans.
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