THE SCOOP ON POOP!

There’s a lot more to dog poop than meets the eye.

Not only are dog droppings unsightly, they are a leading contributor to water pollution and can spread diseases.

“It is a bigger problem than most think,” points out Angela Gallardo, an assistant manager with the City of Tacoma Environmental Services. “Though the majority of dog owners are good about picking up after their pet, it only takes a few to create a significant problem.”

And, it’s a sizable problem when you consider:

• There are nearly 80-million dogs in the U.S alone, 4 percent of all “households” in the U.S. own an average of 1.6 dogs per household according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
• The average dog poops once to five times a day, of course, “depending on what it eats and how often it eats” according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
• The average dog produces 1 pound of excrement each day, again, depending on the dog’s size and diet.

That means there are some 50,712 dogs in just the city of Tacoma generating 25 tons of dog poop every day (based on 2018 US Census reports of 82,540 households in Tacoma with 216,279 residents).

Combined with all cities, towns and rural areas, Pierce County’s 317,699 households and 195,194 dogs conceivably producing nearly 100 tons of dog poop each day!

Even if 80 percent of all dog owners scoop their poop, that’s still a lot of dog do that ends up in surface water, storm water and washes into Puget Sound, but untreated like human waste that goes through sewers or septic tanks.

That’s why most jurisdictions in Puget Sound require all dog owners to scoop their poop and “properly dispose” of it or run the risk of a small fine in most areas.

City of Tacoma even provides neighborhood “Pet Waste Stations” that any city resident can “sponsor” in a neighborhood common area where there is a “dog waste problem” (i.e. park, open space, greenbelt, etc.).

These sponsors presently man 34 stations throughout the city by stocking them with “Puget Sound Starts Here” branded dogie bags they can pick up for free from Tacoma’s EnviroHouse and the City For Urban Waters.

“We have some great homeowners that are very vigilant about keeping them stocked,” Gallarado added. “We also have stations at all city parks and trails that are stocked as well.”

Gallarado also reminds dog walkers that most Pet Waste Stations only dispense plastic doggie bags, it’s not a place to leave and run.

“You’d be surprised how often people use the bags and leave them where they found their dog’s poop after they scooped it up,” Gallarado mused. “Now and then people leave them on the trail, sidewalk, or next to the Pet Waste Station.”

Instead, City of Tacoma’s Environmental Services encourage all owners at home and on walks to “scoop poop, bag it, and dispose of it in the garbage” as the preferred method to eliminate your dog’s remains.

While that may be the simplest solution to this age old problem, there are several other ways to deal with this sticky problem, including:

• Flush in the toilet (not the plastic bag!).
• Bury it at least 12-inches deep in your yard if you have the space.
• Dog Poop removal services.
• Build a dog septic tank in your yard (unless clay based soil).
• Various methods of composting for flowers not food.
• Build a worm farm in your yard, again for flower not food fertilizer.
• Australia is building a small methane plant with dog poop.

And, if that is not enough to digest, check out the complete scoop with Tacoma’s own Dog Doogity’s Dog Poop PSA at www.scooppoop.org