I know is not a subject related to what I usually post, but I find myself getting increasingly annoyed by the amount of dog dirt on our pitches. I’m sick of having to move a session after setting it up, due to dog dirt. As far as i’m concerned Dog owners have no consideration for the kids that play sport on green fields and even more now that alot of pitches aren’t lined. But this is no excuse as most bring their dogs to the same locations every week.
Here are the top 5 things you should know:
- The eggs from roundworms, Toxocara Canis, are deposited with the feaces and embryonate (becoming infectious) 2-3 weeks later. They can be viable for up to 10 years in the soil and are resistant to disinfectants and to the frost. Each toxocara canis female can lay 700 eggs per day and are only visible under a powerful microscope. If ingested by humans and untreated can cause infections to your organs most commonly the brain (nervous system), liver, lungs and your eyes causing tumours and detached retinas and can lead to blindness. This can easily be transferred from a football to kids hands and into there mouth or eyes.
- Dog poo does not act as a fertilizer, when it breaks down it leaves toxins in the ground which are harmful to other animals, humans and the environment. In the past farmers have been blamed for poisoning the land and rivers but it has now been proved that leaving dog waste on farm land can lead to sheep being infected with Canine worms, which doesn’t have an adverse affect on the sheep but if humans then eat the infected meat can lead to cysts on the liver and lungs which have to be removed surgically.
- Dog poo being left to wash into rivers and seas is the equivalent of pumping our raw sewage into the water.
- It is estimated that 20-30% of stream pollution is caused by the toxins from dog waste being washed in to the water system causing a build up in algae which is harmful to fish and by infecting the water with E-Coli, leading to the closer of some beaches.
- It has been estimated that for watersheds of up to 20 square miles draining to small coastal bays, 2 -3 days of faeces from a population of 100 dogs would contribute enough bacteria and nutrients to close a bay to swimming (US EPA, 1993)
In America and Canada scientist are investigating ways to get a useful end product from dog waste, be it fertilizer or energy, a much better option than landfill. As one learned journalist said “If you think stepping in it is bad, try drinking it!” Makes you think doesn’t it.
It’s never good to leave dog poo, use a bag, the complete dog fouling solution and spread the word to dog owners world wide.
Get informed about your dogs mess..
I think if dog owners were better informed they would think twice about leaving dog dirt in areas where kids play. Local councils and club should be doing more, I plan to put up my own signs and hand out notices at our pitches to inform dog owners.
This is an article about a toddler who feel on dog dirt and then wiped her eye with the mess. The young girl is better now, but she still has to have antibiotics even now because her eye still flares up! She could still be on them for the rest of her life and, if left untreated, could still lose her eye.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11012044
From news.discovery.com: Mexican Internet portal Terra is tapping into the online pulse of the modern era and has come up with a truly contemporary way to inspire dog owners to get out their plastics bags.
The company has teamed up with ad agency DDB to create a pilot program in 10 parks in Mexico City and it definitely gets my seal of approval. After pet owners pick up their dog’s turds, they can place the bag in a special box that calculates its weight in exchange for a few minutes of free Wi-Fi. Welcome to 21st Century.
Of course, that didn’t stop park habitués from dropping bags of garbage in the box to claim their free Wi-Fi, but DDB said they didn’t mind. In their opinion, if people want to pick up trash — so be it — that just means a cleaner park.
A very innovative idea!
We urge you to PLEASE worm your dogs and pick up after them. Its totally unfair on kids and the coaches you volunteer there time to have to put up with this mess!
Research: dickybag.com, news.discovery.com
