Dog Poop in the Wild and at Home

Is it a problem? BC Nature wants your thoughts

It's the bane of hikers and city pedestrians alike — dog waste in your path, or worse, in the treads of your shoe.

Increasingly, both on local streets and on trails through the woods, the waste is neatly bagged up, but still left behind.

BC Nature is currently investigating public concerns regarding dog waste (both bagged and 'au natural') that is being left along trails, parks, and natural areas. They are asking for public feedback via a survey (found HERE).

The organization notes that while many dog owners bag their pet’s waste, it is increasingly reported that bagged waste is being left along trails rather than placed in garbage bins, creating both visual litter and plastic pollution in natural spaces.

In a statement on their site, BC Nature says that research shows abandoned dog waste bags can "contribute to plastic and microplastic pollution and may also pose ecological and health risks due to the fecal matter they contain."

To better understand the magnitude of the problem in this province, BC Nature is asking for public feedback.

BC Nature is the operating name of the Federation of British Columbia Naturalists, a provincial body that has spent more than 50 years as a coalition of naturalist groups addressing on issues including threatened species, conservation and land management.

If you have observed dog waste or bagged dog waste being left on trails or in nature areas in your community, BC Nature would like to hear from you.

The survey closes April 8.

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or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca 

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