Here’s some freaky facts that will help dog lovers realize the importance of being a good pet owner and create a better home for us and our 4-legged friends:

• Bayside has 166 registered dogs and probably even more. On average, from tiny to large breed dogs, dogs produce about 1.5 pounds of dog waste A DAY! In Bayside, that’s nearly 250 pounds of poo daily and almost 1,745 pounds weekly. Yearly that’s 90,636 pounds of waste, just in Bayside. See, that little pile you leave does make a difference.
• Research shows that there are over 73 million dogs in the US that create nearly 40 billion pounds of poop annually. Yes, 40 billion pounds. That’s crazy! They also estimate only 40% of waste is picked up, so over 20 billion pounds goes right into our waterways. In Florida, they’ve linked contaminated stormwater with excessive amounts of dog waste residue to deaths of manatees and diseases in wildlife.
• What’s in Poop? Dog poo may contain a variety of harmful bacteria like salmonella and fecal coliform (e. coli); parasites like roundworms, hook worms, whip worms, tape worms; protozoa like giardia or coccidia and viruses like Parvo virus.  These nasties can be transferred to humans and cause a host of ill effects.
• Stinky beaches! Yes, those stinky beaches are partly caused by pet waste residue that gets in our waters. This residue is high in phosphorous and nitrogen, nutrients that increase the growth of algae. In summer there’s usually an explosion of algae in the lake that eventually washes up on our beaches and rots to produce that terrible smell. This decayed material also contains unhealthy stuff. A bad, bad cycle.
• Lastly, it’s just rude to leave poo and in many states illegal with hefty fines because of the negative environmental impact.