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What's Brewing

Politics of poopers, scoopers

By SUSAN THURSTON
Published August 11, 2006

Nothing can ruin a nice stroll like stepping in a fresh, steamy pile of dog poop.

Not as gross, but still frustrating, is seeing a dog owner slip away after his pet does its business, leaving behind the evidence.

It's nasty and unnecessary.

It's also bad for people's health and the environment.

Nanette Holland, public outreach coordinator for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, saw it happen time and again during daily walks with her greyhound named Puzzle in South Seminole Heights.

People usually reached for a plastic bag when their dog doo-dooed in a neighbor's yard, but when it came to scooping in public areas, forget it. Let nature wash it away.

Puzzle died last year, but Holland's mission to reduce dog waste pollution lived on. On Saturday, she and co-workers launch Pooches for the Planet, a program to educate the public about the hazards of dog poop.

"I really believe the vast majority don't realize that pet waste is raw sewage, and it can have a significant effect on waterways," Holland said.

The staff will set up an information booth from 8:30 a.m. to noon in Rivercrest Park at Osborne Avenue and River Boulevard, east of Hillsborough River. Dog owners can pick up brochures, pooper scooper reminder magnets and fire hydrant-shaped bag dispensers that clip to leashes.

The motto: "Clean Waters. Clean Yards. And Clean Shoes!"

"I'm not the poop police," Holland said. "I'm not going to ticket them. I'm just there to educate."

The Estuary folks plan to set up the booth once a month through spring and, possibly, expand the program to other areas with heavy dog traffic. Beyond that, the city also would do well to install bag dispensers along public places, such as Bayshore Boulevard, for owners who forget or use all their bags.

Holland wasn't afraid to get down and stinky to monitor results of the new program. On June 4, she and her obviously adoring boyfriend counted every pile of poop along a nearly 1-mile stretch of sidewalk through Rivercrest Park.

The number nauseated: 83 piles, including one next to the poop bag dispenser.

Using GPS, Holland mapped every pile and printed the results onto a poster to display at the information booth. Every month, she will remap the poop in the hopes of showing a dramatic decrease.

If it seems like a lot of effort for something as mundane as dog doo, it is. But Holland says raising awareness is critical to tackling serious pollution issues.

Officials nationwide have identified pet waste as a significant source of bacterial contamination and excess nutrients in lakes, rivers and bays. Poop washes into waterways, creating health problems for swimmers who ingest the water. It also adds nitrogen to the water, which leads to algae blooms that suck up oxygen and kill fish.

On shore, abandoned poop becomes a den for parasites that can be transmitted to other dogs.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has listed the lower Hillsborough River near downtown as having overly high fecal coliform counts.

As a result, the city is working with the state to reduce the levels by more than 50 percent.

Some of the pollution is naturally occurring or from wildlife. But Holland suspects much of it is human-related, including undisposed dog waste.

Estuary officials recommend bagging the poop newspaper bags work nicely and tossing it in the trash. Even better, flush it down the toilet for processing at a sewage treatment plant.

Peer pressure also works. See a dog owner shirking his duties, offer to help. "Excuse me, did you forget your bag? Here, I have an extra."

The embarrassment of it just might make them think twice about leaving the house again unprepared - and uninformed.

THE LAST DROP: Bay Area Greyhound Adoptions, a group dedicated to finding adoptive homes and foster homes for retired racing greyhounds, is having a meet and greet from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Gandy Publix, 3615 W Gandy Blvd. Call 272-2332 or go to www.bayareagreyhounds.org.

Susan Thurston can be reached at thurston@sptimes.com or 226-3394.

[Last modified August 10, 2006, 08:13:46]