Protecting Your Lawn

No matter how you look at it, dog waste is the "gift" that keeps on giving. We love our dogs, but are not so thrilled with the deposits left in our yard. Until dogs learn how to use the bathroom facilities inside the home, we need to educate ourselves on the importance of cleaning up dog waste.

It's a Myth. Dog Waste is not fertilizer.

Now, before you think dog waste decomposes quickly, the truth is dog waste can take up to a year to completely disintegrate. The reason for this slow decomposition is because dog waste is a protein-based output that has a high nitrogen content which is harmful to your grass and plants. Unlike horse or cow manure that is a vegetation based output, the nitrogen is low and can be used as fertilizer. Most important, dog waste should not be composted for fertilizer. If used in a garden it can transfer illnesses to humans.

Dog waste accumulates quickly.

Dogs eliminate waste up to two times per day, and the average household has two dogs. With this scenario, if dog waste is not collected within a month, there will be a total of 112 piles in your yard. Consider how much will accumulate over the winter (November through February) with two dogs. This would add up to an average of 448 piles by spring and will take countless hours to clean up.

The American Pet Association released an interesting statistic. There are approximately 71 million dogs in the United States that eliminate approximately 4.4 billion pounds of dog waste each year. This is enough to cover 900 football fields 12" thick of dog waste!

Benefits of cleaning up dog waste on a regular basis.

First, consider your time management. If you clean your yard weekly, you can reduce the 112 pile scenario to a manageable 28 pile yard. This will take you approximately ten to fifteen minutes to clean if you have an average size yard and are using appropriate dog waste removal equipment like our scooper. Scoopy the Poo has reasonable and flexible rates to clean your yard if you do not have the time.