Letter to the Editor: Don’t poo-lute other people’s trash cans with your pet waste
Reader George Terhaar recounts his smelly experience with other people’s dog poop.
I’ve had 5-plus dogs in my eight decades on earth and dozens of cats on the farm. Our condo HOA doesn’t allow animals.
There are many dog walkers in our neighborhood and most pickup their pets’ exhausts. However, there’s an additional problem recurring, the sacks of dog poop that are being placed in our garbage can, and now, in our blue recycling container.
This occurs any time of the year night or day. On hot summer days, the smell is far from Chanel No. 5. It happens whether my canisters are at the curb of inside a fence by my residence. Plus, our condo grassy area now gets visits from night roaming dogs exhausting themselves. Any dog walkers who’d put animals’ waste in someone else’s cans shows an appalling lack of class and respect. Ergo, necessity now forces me to repeat this letter on your pets’ pollution.
A previous article spoke to the carbon dioxide created by meat-eating people. The biased report neglected to discuss the impact of 163 million U.S. carnivore cats/dogs (pets) on the environment. According to a UCLA study, Friskies and Fidoes annually generate 64 million tons of carbon dioxide — equivalent to 13.6 million vehicles. This creates 25-30% of the carbon foot print of all meat consumers. Our enviro-Governor and the Democrats stepped over this “poo-lution” problem when passing recent laws forcing us to join their green team.
U.S. pet meat consumption ranks fifth globally behind the people populations of Russia, Brazil, and China. In processing their food, the U.S. cats and dogs exhaust 5.1+ million tons of feces annually, as much as 90 million Americans. By some estimates it’s enough to fill a line of tractor-trailers from Seattle to Boston. Plus, the feline litter would cover 5,000 football fields 10’ deep. (Go Seahawks!)
Coupled with the carbon foot print, between 20-30% of water borne bacteria comes from the 40% of dog waste not picked up by urban dwellers in watershed areas. In Cleveland and Detroit between 10-50% of air borne bacteria came from dog feces left on the ground. Where are the pick-up police when you need them?
The eco-liberal states like Washington cannot continue poo-pooing this poo-lution problem and dooty demands they confront this issue. Raise the licensing fee for cats and dogs, or mandate more gerbil, hamster and guppy sales.
Have the courtesy to take your dog poop to your house not ours!
George Terhaar
Enumclaw
