International Pooper Scooper Week
aPaws International Pooper Scooper Week
April 1 - 7, 2024
Lassie, Beethoven and Old Yeller are dogs that we can associate with growing up, if your a baby boomer. If you're a little younger, than perhaps Hooch or Reggie may ring a bell with you. No matter which generation you belong to, do you remember anyone ever picking up after them in the movies? Cleaning up after you dog is a part of responsible pet ownership. And that's what the International Pooper Scooper Week is all about, picking up your dog's poop.
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 round. We encourage every pet owner to take the time and care to make sure their pet's and family’s environment is kept clear of potentially fatal health threats. It's no coincidence that this week falls on April 1st of each year, because it's no joke!
Way back 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 the latest research and data by worldanimalfoundation.org, 65.1 million US households own at least one dog, which accounts for 49.5%. For the non-math people out there, that's nearly half of the US households have at least one dog. That amounts to a lot of dog poop. As the dog-count within the U.S. rises, more dog owners are looking for an easy solution to an already mounting problem. aPaws provides that solution. The nonprofit organization’s website, www.apaws.org, provides a directory of member pooper-scooper companies. There are companies in several different states who can help any dog owner who may be looking for a workable solution to keeping their yards dog poop free.
The attraction of flies, gnats, and bad smells can be a neighborhood nuisance if yards are not cleaned properly. 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 and their pet waste stations. And let's not forget about rats. Yes, rats. They are notorious for being attracted to dog poop because of the protein content of the waste.
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 near you, please visit the website.
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