Today I must discuss with you a very important and serious matter regarding canines in our community. It has been several years since my hound dog Tucker passed, but he was a great dog and has really been missed by our family. Unfortunately, this article is not about training techniques, pet nutrition or even talking to you kids on the loss of a pet. I question whether I ever handled any of those areas very well, so if you are looking for guidance there, keep looking.
I’ve always heard the expression, “stay with what you know.” I can hear my wife’s sarcastic voice right now, “this will be a short article.” Well she is wrong … again. I do know a thing or two about some things, including dogs. Granted, it is not information I learned in a class or from wise advice handed down to me. No, this knowledge comes from the best way to learn: experience, “being in the trenches,” “getting my hands dirty.” If you haven’t figured it out yet, today’s topic is … that’s right, doggie doo.
Now this is a very uncomfortable subject to discuss for most people, myself included. In order to make this more pleasant or at least less unpleasant, I will try and keep it “clean.”
Fido’s poop. Call it what you like … number two, BM, poo-poo, William Shatner or the fourth Teletubby, it is a reality that most of us have had to scoop up, step over or clean off the bottom of our shoe.
As you know dogs do not have the luxury of having an actual bathroom. Nor do they have the benefit of the two most important parts a bathroom provides — a toilet and privacy. Instead, Lassie is left to do her daily duty wherever, whenever, and in front of whomever she wishes.
Now, believe it or not, there are actually people and/or businesses out there that will take care of your dog’s business for you. Apparently this is big business. I am not sure if this phenomenon has reached Aroostook County yet, but I found a few places online where this service is offered: doodycalls.com, scoopypoo.net, doggydoforyou.com, doggiedorite.com, poopbutler.com, scoopapoop.com, and for those extreme emergencies, poop911.com. I tried suggesting this as a summer business venture for my 11 year old, but he didn’t go for it.
Since doggie lavatories are a technological advancement we have yet to see and there doesn’t appear to be any poop patrol clean-up companies in our local Yellow Pages, area dog owners are “left holding the bag” whenever their pooch decides to clean their colon. The problem of cleanup of course is an unwelcome task and I would like to thank those of you that do and encourage those that don’t, to please clean up after your dogs when enjoying our parks and walkways. If you don’t happen to have a way to dispose of your puppy’s special deposits, there are doggie doo bags and trash receptacles along the bike path and at our parks. Those of you that are “left holding the bag,” save everyone else the displeasure of maneuvering through doggie land mines while out for a stroll. Diseases like Giardia, roundworms, hookworms, Salmonella and E. coli can be transmitted to people and pets alike through Rover’s malodorous expulsions. Not only that, other dogs might ruin their dinner by stopping for a mid-walk snack.
Oh … and one other reason to clean up after your pooch, it is a City ordinance with a lovely fine attached. So please, keep our walkways and parks clean by taking care of business promptly after your pet finishes theirs.
If you are interested in learning more on this wonderful subject or want to become more involved, mark your calendars for National Scoop the Poop Week, held every year in the month of April. After all, it’s your duty, or at least your dog’s.
Chris Beaulieu is director of recreation and parks for city of Presque Isle. He can be reached at 764-2545 or via e-mail at cbeaulieu@presqueisleme.us.
