aPaws International Pooper Scooper Week

aPaws International Pooper Scooper Week

April 1 - 7, 2013

 Your dog’s carbon paw print can affect your environment!

Lassie, Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart are dogs that we can associate with growing up, but do you remember anyone ever picking up after them in the movies?  Along with responsible pet ownership is making sure to clean up your pet’s droppings.

 The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists, (aPaws) wants to remind all dog owners that they should do their part not only during the International Pooper Scooper Week, but all year,  by taking the time and care to make sure their pets’ and family’s environment is kept clear of potentially fatal health threats.

 In 1994, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized pet waste as a major contributor of Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) and as such, the runoff from pet waste will continue to produce harmful effects on our drinking water supply, recreation, fisheries and wildlife unless we all work together in our communities to reduce and prevent this pollution from occurring.

 According to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (app ma), in 2011-2012  62 percent of US households owned  78.2 million dogs in the U.S.  As the dog-count within the U.S. rises, more dog owners are looking for a simple solution to an already mounting problem.  aPaws provides that solution. The nonprofit organization’s website, http://www.apaws.org, provides a directory of member pooper-scooper companies in different states who can help any dog owner who may be looking for a workable solution to keeping their yards cleared of dog poop. 

 The attraction of flies, gnats, and bad smells can be a neighborhood nuisance if yards are not maintained. Also, a number of common parasites, including round worms, are transmitted via dog feces. Some property management companies and condo associations are seeing the benefit of using a professional pooper-scooper service to maintain their common areas. For some dog owners, finding a workable solution has been either too time consuming, so they ignore it completely. Hopefully, that doesn’t describe your neighbor!

 The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists was founded in February 2002. In recognition of a growing problem in our communities, aPaws has established a special week of educating pet owners on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs.

 To learn more about aPaws and some of the diseases related to dog feces or to find a professional animal waste specialist and more near you, please visit our website: http://www.apaws.org.

 

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