As the City of Dublin continues to establish and reinforce its standing as a global city of choice, we rely on our residents to help take care of our community. With that in mind, the City encourages all dog owners to participate in the Pick Up Poop, or PUP, campaign.
Many communities use the PUP campaign to encourage courteous and safe pet waste disposal. This helps maintain our beautiful parks, sidewalks and paths. It also helps keep the water systems around us intact. Proper disposal helps everyone to be a good neighbor and to stay in compliance with our city code:
Code Section 96.17, (A),(2) No person being the owner or having charge of any animal on any public or private other than the property of the owner or person having charge of such animal, shall fail to have in his possession a wood, plastic, or metal device or other container for the purpose of picking up and properly disposing of any fecal matter left by his/her animal. Failure of any such person to have in his possession such suitable device is prima-facie evidence of a violation of this section. No person shall fail to remove fecal matter left by his/her animal within a reasonable amount of time by properly placing such refuse into a waste receptacle.
Did you know?
During rain events, dog poop left on the ground can wash away through the sewer systems and end up in our lakes and rivers, polluting our freshwater supplies. The water that goes through these storm sewer systems is not treated, so what goes into a drain exits into our waterways.
Nutrients in dog poop, like nitrogen and phosphorous, dissolve and can contribute to algal growth once they’re washed into a waterway. As dog poop breaks up, it uses oxygen, depleting the amount of oxygen in the water for use by fish and other aquatic life.
Dog poop also contains bacteria and other organisms like worms that end up in the environment and can spread through water to other animals or humans, causing a negative impact on both environmental and public health.
FACT: There are 277,000 dogs in Franklin County! Each dog creates an average
of .75 pounds of waste daily. That’s nearly 104 tons of dog poop a day that can pollute our water when it rains.
Remember, PUPing is our law!
Doggy Doo’s and Don’ts:
- Doo: Pick up after your dog, and use a bag!
- Don’t: Leave the bag on the ground. Dispose of it in a waste receptacle.
- Doo: Take the PUP Pledge
- Don’t: Forget your bags when you take your dog on a walk! Receive a packet of doggy bags when you sign the PUP Pledge.
FAQs:
What should I do with my doggy doo?
Pick it up! Use a bag or a poop scooper, and throw your waste in the trash. Not only is it environmentally healthy, but it is the courteous thing to do.
Is it better to bag waste, or leave it on the lawn?
It is better to bag your waste! It will still end up in a landfill, but the overall negative impact is lessened as fewer bacteria are left in the environment.
Isn’t poop good lawn fertilizer?
No, not all poop is good lawn fertilizer. Due to the protein filled doggy diet, dog waste is acidic and leaving it on your lawn will kill the grass and leave dry brown spots! Not all poop is created equal.
Does dog poo really affect stormwater that much?
In 1993, the US EPA reported that 95% of fecal coliform found in urban stormwater was of non-human origin (Alderiso et al., 1996 and Trial et al., 1993). Much of this waste is from dogs, as they are concentrated in urban areas (unlike wildlife, which moves around freely).
Are there other options other than disposing of pet waste in the trash?
You can install in-ground pet waste composters; flush the waste down the toilet; or hire a pet waste pick up service that has new uses for pet waste such as a source for energy.
Information borrowed from https://www.columbus.gov/utilities/water-protection/pup/PUP-Signup-Form/ and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland, OH with permission.
