Doggie doodoo is owner’s duty to clean
PET BULLETIN
‘Mews and Yips’ from the Central Aroostook Humane Society
Special to Star-Herald
In an effort to go that extra mile for the animals, the shelter is offering some spring specials. We are calling it our “Have a Heart” special. From now until the end of April, all adoptions of cats are half off, with special pricing on our Have a Heart cats, who have been with us a long time, who have been born there and who are special needs. You can tell a Have a Heart kitty by the heart on their cage. Now is the time to adopt the kitty of your dreams; one is waiting for you at the Central Aroostook Humane Society. (This is not half off the senior citizen discount.) Some of our cats have been with us for more than a year, or were born at the shelter and have grown into adults there; we want them in loving homes, not in our shelter. They deserve loving, responsible homes. Won’t you help us spread the word!!
The snow has melted along roadways and bike paths only to reveal how disgusting and inconsiderate some people can be — dog poop everywhere! It is the responsibility of the dog owner to clean up after their dogs, yet some people don’t get it.
There is a city ordinance in Presque Isle that reads: “Not to Create a Nuisance. The dog shall be considered a nuisance if it soils, defiles or defecates on any public or private property other than that of the owner’s property. The owner shall be obliged to remove and promptly dispose of such waste from any such public or private property.” The consequences for non-compliance: you will get a summons for violating a city ordinance, will have to go to court and will have to pay a fine. This means if you are walking your dog and it poops on someone’s lawn you must pick it up; if your dog poops beside the road, on the bike path or on public property, you must pick it up. Why, you might ask; www.Articlebase.com gives us the following reasons:
• Dog poop; it is unsightly and very unpleasant when stepped in. Read on to find some facts and figures of the impact of not cleaning up after your dog We hope you enjoy walking your dog, but please remember to scoop the poop:
• Dogs carry over 23 billion bacteria and parasites including salmonella and giardia. Giardia can live outside its host for considerable time so transmission is prolific. The symptoms include vomiting, bloating, diarrhea and stomach pain;
• Pet feces left to wash into our waterways contain nutrients that encourage growth of algae. This can upset the natural balance, affecting animals and fish. It is estimated that pet poop is responsible for one-quarter of the fecal contamination in our waterways. Remember that these very same waterways are where you get your drinking water from;
• A single gram of pet feces contains in excess of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which can cause disease in humans and animals;
• In Paris, France, they have over 70 motorized scooper poopers called ‘Caninettes’ which are used to clean the streets and sidewalks at a cost of $8.4 million to the taxpayers;
• Flies like dog poop. There is much undigested food in dog feces which gives flies an easy dinner; they then carry the unhealthy bacteria and can contaminate our food simply by landing on it. A fly is one of the biggest disease carriers in existence;
• Many people have broken bones and strained limbs from treading and slipping on dog poop; this is a cost to society, especially in the UK where the National Health Service (NHS) is paid purely by the taxpayer;
• Dog fouling on beaches can dangerously affect the quality of water and cause many beaches to be closed for swimmers. The littering by dog fouling can impact the water quality to the point where bathing in the water is not allowed because of the danger posed by the polluted water and high bacteria levels;
• How much dog poop could there be left on the streets if no one picked up after their dog? Imagine a block of 20 houses with one dog per house. Every owner walks their dog within a 10-block radius. At two walks a day that equates to 14,600 poops per year. If we divide this by 10, this will give us 1,460 poops per block per year. Imagine how easy it would be to accidentally step in one of those poops and the effect on our waterways where much of this waste is washed into;
• Tape worm is the most commonly transmitted disease from dog feces. It is estimated that much of this transmission for indoor-kept animals occurs when dog waste is carried into the house on one of our shoes; and
• Children are the most susceptible to picking up illness from dog waste as they like playing on the ground and in the dirt and tend to put things in their mouths.
Our lovely pooch may be man’s best friend but the mess they make when left can be a severe menace. Take responsibility for your dog and clean up after them; there is no excuse not to.
The Central Aroostook Humane Society will have a booth at Tractor Supply’s grand opening next Saturday. We will be doing off-site adoptions and will be featuring our Have a Heart animals, so please join us March 27 at 23 Houlton Rd.
If you are looking for a Friend for Life, please visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, or give us a call at 764-3441. You can also visit us on our Web site at www.centralaroostookhumanesociety.org. The e-mail for Friends of CAHS is friendsofcahs@yahoo.com so send an e-mail and find out how you can help the unwanted animals of our area find forever homes.
