Doggy Dundee

Scoop Dog Poop – A Health and Responsibility Issue

G’day, Mates!

One responsibility of being a good dog owner is scooping up your dog’s poop. We all have been aggravated by the sight of bad dog owners leaving their droppings around – or, worse yet, stepping in a pile of dog poop. Uuuugggggghhhhh! Seattle, Washington contracted for this Dog Doogity dog poop musical video promoting scoop poop. Get down…and pick up!

Poop Bacteria: Human and Dog Health Issue

Scoopin’ poop isn’t just for convenience; It’s a health issue too, for both dogs and humans! According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), bacteria in dog droppings contribute to diseases. Dog poop can contain eggs of tapeworms, hookworm, roundworms, giardia, and others which can remain in the soil for years-Meaning that dogs and humans who come in contact with these in the soil may become ill (sports, picnicking, etc.). In 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), listed pet waste as a “nonpoint source of pollution”-thus placing it in the same category as oil and toxic chemicals. Even parks designated specifically for dog park play are abused by bad dog owners who leave their pooch’s piles of “nonpoint pollution sources” lying around when dog parks actually provide pooper scoopers and/or bags for scooping poop.  

Look! Up in the Sky

Poop bacteria, and other types, go airborne, too, which surprised researchers (Yes, people get paid to find these things!). Quoting from a study published in the July 29, 2011 Applied and Environmental Biology, the August 19, 2011 edition of the Detroit Free Press reported a story picked up by numerous papers nationwide, that the first four cities studied for airborne bacteria had bacteria from dog feces concentrated in the winter sky- above Detroit, followed by Cleveland, much less in Chicago, and very little in Mayville, Wisconsin. (Apparently, it’s there all the time, but in winter when the soil, dirt, and leaves are gone or snow covered, feces bacteria is more prominent). Too much information for ya?

It All Adds Up

Let’s see now, an approximate calculation of Chase’s poops tallies at 365 days per year x 3 poops per day x 7 years = 7665 poop piles! Yikes! Now multiply that by, let’s say, 3000 dogs in a small town and it’s obvious what not picking up dog poop can lead to!

A 1993 U.S. EPA report (as noted in Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet: Animal Waste Collection) stated that in watershed areas, “…two to three days of droppings from a population of about 100 dogs would contribute enough bacteria and nutrients to temporarily close a bay to swimming and shellfishing.” Also that, “Bacterial source tracking studies in a watershed in the Seattle, Washington area also found that nearly 20% of the bacteria isolates that could be matched with host animals were matched with dogs.” Sigh…

However, anyone can make a mistake, so be kind. And, even when Doggy Dundee spots a bad dog owner simply trying to ignore their pet’s poop, I cheerily offer them a bag to use. Friendliness and education are the best approaches, though I realize it’s tempting with the rude “Leave me alone” bad dog owners to want to snap pictures of the offenders and post their photos on  a “This Person Doesn’t Pick Up His/Her Dog’s Poop” kiosk somewhere. But, be a good doggy!

Talent Dog Park - ”Bark Park” - for Dog Park Play!

G’day, Mates!  Dog parks are popping up in many communities across the nation, usually spearheaded by community members desiring a safe, fenced dog park area where their dogs can go to socialize and run off-leash with new and old friends, play ball, get plenty of exercise and fun in the sun, jump into a cool pool, and more. Plus, owners get to meet and socialize with new and old human friends as well.

After seven years of inquiries and efforts, Talent, Oregon (Doggy Dundee’s present abode) finally added it’s own dog park, officially dubbed Talent Bark Park. The grand opening was Saturday, August 13, 2011. Here’s a few photos I snapped – What  a joy to witness dog park play! One minute the dogs were just standing around when they were led inside, seeming a bit unsure of what to do, then “WOW! We’re off!” A still camera couldn’t capture the sight of the dogs running around chasing each other-Everytime I went to snap a picture, the dogs had raced out of view! Chase and I have been back every morning, and she loves playing at this park.

The Rogue Valley is blessed with several dog parks, including Ashland and Medford. While Ashland’s park remains a favorite (Can’t beat 2+ acres of fenced grass that also allows dogs access to a creek, as well as a super large dog pool, shade trees, and a three sided shelter for humans to keep out of the elements), the Talent dog park is sweet, convenient, and brand new!

Start Your Own Dog Park or Find One to Visit

Want advise on how to start dog parks? Check this American Kennel Club link for some info.

Traveling with your dog and interested in finding someplace to enjoy dog park play? While it’s hard to keep up with all the dog parks that are opening, this Dog Park Directory may help you locate one when you’re traveling. Another option is to contact in advance either the City or Chamber of Commerce of the area you’ll be visiting and ask if there is an off-leash dog park in their area.

Good on ya!

Doggy Webmaster Running Off to Colorado

Chase and I raise our paws and send best wishes to Nancy Bolton Rawles, the Doggy Dundee webmaster who, along with her hubby Bruce, is leaving the Northwest soon to start life anew in Colorado and be close to family again. They’ve been “good dog friends.”

Her Persistence Urged This Blog

Not only has Nancy been our friend and webmaster; more than that, her witticism helped spark the Doggy Dundee name some years ago after I flew into the office one day just in time for work (by about one second) telling a tale of yet another lost dog I’d found wandering and had to rescue on my way into work. Well, that made about five dogs (and breathless entries racing into work) in just that month, which took everyone aback. “Are you some kind of Doggy Dundee?” Nancy quipped.  Well, Nancy wouldn’t let that idea go, and it was her persistent urging that prompted me to overcome blog angst and start Doggydundee.com.

Nancy remains a good friend to us and other furries (though her preference is cats), and will be available for “HELP!” emails from Doggy Dundee should those emergencies ever arise. Right now, she’s sleuthing the reason why recent officially “approved” comments are not showing up on the post page, though they are listed as approved in the system.  (So, that’s also an apology to any reader who doesn’t see their recent comment – It’s being worked on, though packing is Nancy’s priority at the moment. Keep posting though – It’ll get fixed eventually.)

Nancy is also a very fine artist and graphic designer. Check out the Nancy Bolton Rawles website! 

Hey dog friends, enjoy the journey and much success on the road less traveled!

Essay: What Is Doggy Dundee Doing On Our Summer Vacation?

G’day, Mates! Writing an essay like this about Doggy Dundee’s a bunch more fun than turning in one of those required school essays. Chase and I are having a great time, spending lots of doggy summer vacation time camping, racing through the Pacific surf, jumping in creeks (sorry, no camera handy those days), and lakeside. Figured our mates would enjoy these pics!

Big adventure this summer was Doggy Dundee’s camping trip to Washoe Lake State Park, outside of Carson City, Nevada. It’s high desert that’s hot as a tin roof in the middle of the summer in Marble Bar, surrounded by majestic, snow capped mountains! We planned it well, tho’ coz you’ll notice the word “lake” in the name of this state campground. So, even though Chase is a camping dog, the initial arrival and tent set up wasn’t all to Chase’s likin’ (“Where have you taken me, a woofer with such long, thick, black fur?”), you can bet we had a good time at Washoe Lake, where Chase enjoyed majestic views while swimming, found the greatest sticks in the mud, and I was able to laugh and laugh at her antics! Got surprised our first evening -Was a full moon, and when that moon slowly and finally rose very late over the mountains, the total blackness of the camp was transformed as if into daylight and our bodies cast very long shadow behind us-Magic! 

Had a full day of doggy summer vacation fun  in Virginia City, Nevada where cowpokes took a likin’ to Chase, and I kept drenching her with water coz it was a stinker of 100 degrees. Finally found a western saloon that would let us in (health codes bar dogs, so since I don’t want to get the bar keep in trouble I won’t mention the name), and I enjoyed a cool beer and Chase lounged on the floor next to me drinking pails of water and enjoying the friendly attention of the bartenders and all the tourists (What’s a saloon without a woofer asleep on the floor, right!)

The trip was cut short by one night in Carson City when I returned to the car after leaving it “just for two minutes” (and also leaving a bag with a fried chicken breast and wings in the car with Chase) to discover no chicken, no bones, no bag. Yikes! Well, some raw bones are all right for doggies, but any cooked and breast and wing bones not good! All vets were closed, so I raced back to the campground, tossed Chase lots of bread to munch on, tore all the gear down, and stuffed everything in the car within 27 minutes, and drove the 6-1/2 hours back at 20 miles over the speed limit (slowed down at curves, though) to make sure Chase would have access to her own vet if any problems developed during the night. Status? No problem at all-ever. Sigh and a big “thank you!” Amazing to think back on that drive and know what you can do when you need to do it, though.

Chase is a real beach dog and enjoys the ocean, so a doggy summer vacation trip to Brookings Harbor means lots of running along the coast, running with other beach dogs, jumping into the waves, stealing the best sticks, and dig, dig, digging for hours. Brookings was the site of the very first camping trip Chase and I had ever taken back in 2004 when she was just a pup of about seven months old. Our tent was in an overflow area at an RV campground just 100 yards from beach. So, you see that we hold fond memories for Brookings which we visit regularly whether to camp (usually enjoying much more enjoyable tent camping at Harris Beach State Park than our first “overflow” days campsite) or just drive out for a daytrip.

Doggy Dundee’s also gone camping this summer, as well as day tripping, at the regional Howard Prairie Lake  resort, where we enjoy lakeside tenting. Nothing like being awakened by a dog at 7 a.m., being able to unzip the tent and watch her fly out and leap into the lake, then slip into my bathing suit and jump in to swim with Chase! What a great way to wake up in the morning, and get prepared for coffee. There is always lots of sticks (or a ball) to throw into the lake so that beach dog Chase will swim out to fetch it, and then she’ll run along the sand and drop it and run back to me and bark bark bark (in dog language that’s, “Now you go fetch the stick. I’ll wait for you to throw it again, though”). By the middle of the afternoon, Chase is very wet, bushed and napping, so I get a chance to sit down and read a good book.

Who knows what other summer fun adventures will entice Doggy Dundee (Undoubtedly at least one more camping trip). Wishin’ all our mates fun!
Half your luck!