Download What you should know about Pet Waste and

What you should know about Pet Waste and Stormwater Pollution
Dog poop does not automatically disappear from streets, pavements, yards, or along the side of
roads nor does it fertilize the ground. If left on the ground, it can be picked up by stormwater
runoff, such as rain or melting snow, to run into storm drains that flow into rivers polluting its
water and can present a health risk to adults, children, and other pets.
Dangers if Pet Waste is Not Handled Properly
Pet waste carries bacteria, viruses, and sometimes parasites that can make people sick. These
three can be easily passed from pets to humans:
Salmonellosis is the most common bacterial infection transmitted to humans by other animals.
Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and a headache.
Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial infection carried by dogs and cats that causes diarrhea in
humans.
Toxocariasis are roundworms that can be transmitted to humans from dogs. May cause
symptoms, but not always. Can cause vision loss, fever or a cough.
Dog Feces are Not Fertilizer
A day’s poop from a large dog can contain 7,800,000,000 fecal coliform bacteria! Dogs do not
produce useable manure-fertilizer for plants as some people think. In fact, their urine and fecal
material burn grass. Their poop should not be included in compost either. Beneficial maturefertilizer comes from herbivores (cows and horses) which return their waste back into the soil
because they are vegetarians. Dogs are carnivores like people.
Benefits of Cleaning Up Dog Poop
You do not step in it! It does not smell in hot weather! Your children do not step in it! Cleaning
up makes your neighborhood cleaner as well as improves the aesthetics and reduces a major
source of stormwater pollution. Picking up does not allow your pets to gain worms from other
animal’s excrement so it is healthier for them, too. It also allows for better neighbor to neighbor
relations. Neighbors without dogs do not appreciate having “dog piles” in their yard!
It is a City Ordinance
Section 18-8-Allowing animals to urinate or defecate on public property or property of another.
It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly or willingly to allow any animal belonging to that
person to urinate or defecate on any public property, or the property of another without the
consent of the owner of the property or his agent, provided that it shall not be unlawful to allow
urination or defecation by such animal within the curb or gutter area of a public street or
roadway, and provided that defecation by an animal on public property shall not be unlawful if the
owner of the animal removes the animal’s excrement immediately and disposes of it in a public
trash receptacle or in a public sanitary sewer, or on the owner’s own property in a lawful manner.
Another ordinance also pertains to keeping animals in sanitary conditions without any odors:
Section 18-9-Animals causing unsanitary conditions or odors.
It shall be unlawful for any person who owns, keeps or controls any animal to keep that animal in
such a manner as to cause unsanitary conditions, or in such manner as to cause offensive odors
beyond the boundary of that person’s own property.