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OK, it’s time to confess if you’re one of the 40% of American dog owners who do NOT pick up your dog’s poop. Sorry to raise a stink about it, but some of the things you might be telling yourself to justify it are just not true. Here are some common myths about dog poop — and the truth.
Dog feces is a terrible fertilizer. Unlike cows, a dog’s carnivorous diet makes the end result radically different from cow manure. While bovine waste is commonly used as fertilizer, dog waste can take up to a year to break down. And many of the by-products don’t really do anything to benefit your neighbor’s lawn. Plus, your neighbor may already have plans for maintaining a healthy lawn — and it doesn’t involve your pooch.
Dog poop is one of the biggest contributors to urban watershed pollution in the country. Annually, dogs produce more than 10 million pounds of feces in the U.S., and it’s pretty germy. Every time it rains, dog feces gets swept away by storm water and contaminates creeks, rivers, and ponds. Dog waste harbors lots of viruses and bacteria, like salmonella, E. coli, and giardia — not exactly what you want to end up in your city’s water supply.
And it’s not just the water. One study found that dog poop is behind a lot of the airborne bacteria in urban centers. Not only can dog poop make you sick, but it’s also a pollution problem that scientists are trying to solve.
Many dog owners punish pups who relieve themselves in the house by pushing their noses into the poop. But this tactic, only serves to frighten your dog and doesn’t stop the problem. Indoor accidents may not just be a behavioral or training problem. This is especially true of senior dogs. Your older canine may be experiencing age-related incontinence, sudden accidents may also be a sign of a change in your dog’s health. If your dog is experiencing sudden and unexplained accidents, you may need to see the Vet. Other causes may be food allergies, stress, a new schedule or cancer. Instead of shoving his nose in it, call the Vet’s office and schedule an appointment.
You probably haven’t given much thought to the direction in which your dog excretes, but scientists have thought about it a lot. A recent study found that left to their own devices, dogs prefer to line themselves up on a north-south axis when they poop. This direction is in line with the Earth’s magnetic fields. The scientists aren’t sure why or how dogs do this, but they say it proves your furry friend is sensitive to the Earth’s polarity and needs to be one with it to do his business. I guess it’s paws-able.
Sixty percent of American dog owners claim to pick up their dog’s poop faithfully — and we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The other forty percent may need better socialization or manners. By busting some of these dog myths, we may convince them to bring a few plastic bags out with them on walks! And next time your canine does his business, take a moment to appreciate his sense of direction.
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