Both people and dogs can get sick from a variety of pathogens that can be found in dog poop — Giardia, Salmonella, Parvovirus, and round and hookworms to name a few. Children are especially vulnerable because they are apt to play on the ground or walk outside without shoes. Roundworms, for example, can be contracted through the skin. Depending on the pathogen, simply sniffing another dog’s poop may be enough to infect a dog.
“When owners do not pick up after their dogs, a social norm is created that leaving poop on the ground is acceptable in that area. This encourages others to skip picking up,” said Jen McDonnell of Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services. “That’s why it is so important to pick up after your dog, every time. The more poop that is left one the ground, the more bacteria and pathogens that wash into Four Mile Run.”
The recent efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay have highlighted nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment as pollutants, but bacteria as a pollutant has not received as much publicity.
Four Mile Run is listed as “impaired” by the State of Virginia for excess bacteria. Wildlife, humans, and dogs are the primary sources of Arlington’s stream bacteria. Leaking sanitary pipes and incorrectly plumbed pipes can deliver human sources of bacteria to streams through the storm drain system. Dog poop contains nearly twice as much fecal bacteria per gram as human waste, making it an especially troublesome bacteria source when it is left on the ground.
Learn more about Four Mile Run at http://www.novaregion.org/index.aspx?NID=213 and http://environment.arlingtonva.us/streams/stream-monitoring/.
Article contributed by the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation.