Handout- Gunter, Beth- 2-12-18 • /v , iekbA/J
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Article II Dogs and Cats
Sec. 4-26 Damaging property
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) warns that one single dog dropping
can contain 3 million fecal bacteria, along with parasites and viruses that
can that be passed to humans adults and children as well as other pets.
This chart shows some of the Parasites, Bacteria and Viruses that could be
present in dog feces.
Parasites Bacteria Viruses
Cryptosporidium Salmonella Rabies
Giardia E. coli Parvovirus
Hookworms Campylobacter Coronavirus
Roundworms Leptospira Distemper
Tapeworms MRSA Canine Hepatitis
A dog's digestive system can handle just about anything and often does
making it's poop very toxic. In fact, a single dog will produce more
bacteria in one day than a person, a horse and a cow combined.
You don't have to have a PHD to understand that dog poop is bad for you and
that you should avoid it if possible
Simply walking in a infected yard then entering a home will track the bacteria and
can infect anyone in the household and quickly sicken or hospitalize high risk
individual such as young children, pregnant women or elderly. Individuals with an
autoimmune disease, flu or reduced ability to fight infections are at risk of
hospitalization or even death.
Many people ignore these issues saying they don't use the yard, it is just
for their dogs. But those same dogs walk in the yard indiscriminately and
then enter your home with out removing their shoes spreading the
diseases, bacteria and parasites into your carpet, beds and clothing.
In fact, testing of average sidewalks where dogs are commonly walked showed
extremely hight levels of bacteria transferred from the dogs feet and onto human
shoes. That is onto the shoes of people that don't even have pets but innocently
walk down their neighborhood sidewalk for exercise.
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People with suppressed immune systems due to disease or are taking drugs that
lower the immune system should not scoop dog feces. They are once again at
risk from disease.
While civilizations have dealt with the problem of human waste the issue of pet
waste has never been addressed because it was never such a big problem. But
now with nearly as many pets as people in this country it is quickly becoming a
serious environmental problem, health issue and nuisance.
Dog poop needs to be taken very seriously and not ignored.
If humans were pooping in their yard, on sidewalks and such there would be an
uproar and people would fight to stop the problem. But dogs are left to do just
that in spite of the fact that dog waste carries higher bacteria levels, contains
dangerous parasites and poses a significantly higher threat than than human
waste.
Our love for pets and lack of responsibility is degrading our environment,
endangering public health and creating a situation that cannot be ignored.
Contrary to popular belief, dog feces is not fertilizer and does not provide any
benefit to the soil.
Using dog feces as garden fertilizer can make people sick when eating the
vegetables harvested.
Dog feces is 3rd on the list of contributors to contaminated water.
Dog Poop washes into water supplies and kills wildlife.
Children can get sick and even die from dog poop washing bacteria from a
neighboring dogs yard.
Dog feces is a protein by-product and will attract rats that will eat the undigested
protein found in the fecal matter.
Having rats in your yard will attract feral cats and snakes compounding the
dangers to pets and humans.
Poop is a breeding ground for many varieties of flies that can carry diseases and
bacteria into homes, onto human skin, food and other areas that will make
people sick.
Dog poop contaminates recreational water ways, lake and rivers. Studies have
found that 20% of the bacteria contaminating some waterways can be traced
back to dog poop.
Dog poop can carry a number of zoonotic diseases (those that can be
transferred from pets to humans).
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We feel the city ordinance is violating our right to quiet enjoyment of our
property and endangering my health
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