Biologists: Protect Puget Sound, pick up after your dog
LACEY, Wash. -- Shellfish and dogs just don't mix.
So Thurston County pet store owners and environmentalists are joining forces to deal with dog poop. The goal is to protect the waters of Puget Sound.
We've all seen the signs as our favorite clam beach: closed shellfish poisoning. Environmental types tested, and it turns out one of the problems is dogs - or more specifically, dog poop.
So members of the Pacific Shellfish Institute are out, surveying dog doo hotspots.
Can our canine friends really be that much of a problem?
"There's probably close to 45,000 to 50,000 dogs in Thurston County, and they all poop a half-pound a day. That's 11 tons of dog poop that's sitting out there," said research biologist Aimee Christy.
For some dogs, all the world's a toilet. Christy's just happy most owners pick the stuff up. Jim Burlingame does. On Friday, Christy was watching, and gave him a raffle ticket.
"You get a raffle ticket, and you could win a kayaking trip for two," she told Burlingame.
Burlingame really didn't need a raffle ticket.
"It's a reward unto itself, because I don't want to step in somebody else's dog poop. So I'm going to do everyone a favor by picking up my dog's poop."
The problem there aren't enough dog owners like Burlingame.
As Christy said, the more you look, the more you find. Some of it belonged to Kimberly Dyes' dog, Naz. She thought it was OK for dogs to do their thing. She didn't get a lecture; instead, she got a present.
"This is a poop bag. This is for when your dog defecates," Christy said.
When asked whether she'd use it, Dyes said, "I promise, I'm going to do it."
The institute explains there are 650 million coliform bacteria in every ounce of dog doo. And those bacteria could get in this stream and then to swimming holes and oyster beds. That's the reason for the ongoing cleanup.
So how much poop do you think you can find in a four-hour walk in a park? Try 12 pounds.
Up to 20 volunteers participate in the program on weekends. The goal is to protect the waters of Henderson Inlet and the Nisqually Reach.
So Thurston County pet store owners and environmentalists are joining forces to deal with dog poop. The goal is to protect the waters of Puget Sound.
We've all seen the signs as our favorite clam beach: closed shellfish poisoning. Environmental types tested, and it turns out one of the problems is dogs - or more specifically, dog poop.
So members of the Pacific Shellfish Institute are out, surveying dog doo hotspots.
Can our canine friends really be that much of a problem?
"There's probably close to 45,000 to 50,000 dogs in Thurston County, and they all poop a half-pound a day. That's 11 tons of dog poop that's sitting out there," said research biologist Aimee Christy.
For some dogs, all the world's a toilet. Christy's just happy most owners pick the stuff up. Jim Burlingame does. On Friday, Christy was watching, and gave him a raffle ticket.
"You get a raffle ticket, and you could win a kayaking trip for two," she told Burlingame.
Burlingame really didn't need a raffle ticket.
"It's a reward unto itself, because I don't want to step in somebody else's dog poop. So I'm going to do everyone a favor by picking up my dog's poop."
The problem there aren't enough dog owners like Burlingame.
As Christy said, the more you look, the more you find. Some of it belonged to Kimberly Dyes' dog, Naz. She thought it was OK for dogs to do their thing. She didn't get a lecture; instead, she got a present.
"This is a poop bag. This is for when your dog defecates," Christy said.
When asked whether she'd use it, Dyes said, "I promise, I'm going to do it."
The institute explains there are 650 million coliform bacteria in every ounce of dog doo. And those bacteria could get in this stream and then to swimming holes and oyster beds. That's the reason for the ongoing cleanup.
So how much poop do you think you can find in a four-hour walk in a park? Try 12 pounds.
Up to 20 volunteers participate in the program on weekends. The goal is to protect the waters of Henderson Inlet and the Nisqually Reach.
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