Warmer weather fortunately means more time to go play outside with your pup. The downside to the first spring days, though, is that once the snow melts, all of the pet waste from the last several months will scatter the yard. Your best bet is to just clean it all up at once before play time, as pet waste can actually be very dangerous to both people and pets.
Pet waste is full of a wide range of parasites, bacteria, and even viruses. This is because dogs are typically carnivores, and when meat is consumed, bacteria and other dangers are often found in the waste. Pet waste can be dangerous to your pets that run around the yard, as well as to humans who come in contact with it. Children and senior citizens especially, are at a higher risk of becoming very sick. Aside from becoming sick, leaving the waste all over your yard will attract rodents and other unwanted critters.
Not cleaning up the waste once the ground is thawed can also put groundwater at risk for contamination. The water is then eventually transported to lakes, streams, rivers, etc. which can harm people, plants, and other aquatic life.
To make clean up easy, we like to recommend pooper scoopers. Instead of lugging an old shovel and rake around, you can use a plastic, lightweight, pooper scooper that picks up the waste just by pressing the handle down.
And with warm weather comes more walks, so make sure that you’ve got your biodegradable poop bags to pick up any waste business your pup might do on your neighbors’ lawns!
If you’re noticing that your fresh, green, grass is being stained by your pets’ waste and urine, we like to recommend Dog Rocks. These rocks are placed into your pets’ water bowls and work to filter out impurities from water, such as tin, ammonia, and nitrates. These impurities are passed into urine and are what kill the grass in your yard.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local pet store if you have questions on this or any pet related topic.