Pooper-scooper

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 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (September 2007)

A pooper-scooper, or poop scoop, is a device used to pick up an animal's fecal matter. This includes devices which remove feces from public places and yards. Pooper-scooper devices often have a bag or bag attachment. 'Poop bags' are alternatives to pooper scoopers, and are simply a bag, usually turned inside out, to carry the feces to a proper disposal area. Sometimes, the person performing the cleanup is also known as the pooper-scooper.

Contents

Legislation

A number of jurisdictions, including New York City, have laws requiring pet owners to clean up after their pets:

a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall or stairway of a building abutting on a public .


Authorized employees of New York City Departments of Health (including Animal Care & Control), of Sanitation, or of Parks and Recreation can issue tickets.[1]

Health concerns

Dog droppings are one of the leading sources of E. coli (fecal coliforms) bacterial pollution: One gram of dog feces contains over 20,000,000 E. coli cells.[2] While an individual animal's deposit of feces will not measurably affect the environment, the cumulative effect of thousands of dogs and cats in a metropolitan area can create serious problems due to contamination of soil and water supplies. The runoff from neglected pet waste contaminates water, creating health hazards for people, fish, ducks, etc.[3]

The situation is particularly dire[citation needed] in Germany, where an estimated 1400 tonnes of feces are deposited daily on public property. A citizen commission (2005) overwhelmingly recommended a plan that would break even at about seven months. DNA samples would be required when pet licenses come up for renewal. Within a year, a database of some 12,500 registration-required canine residents would be available to sanitation workers with sample-test kits. Evidence would be submitted to a forensics laboratory where technicians could readily match the waste to its dog. The prospect of a prompt fine equivalent to $600 US (at 2005 exchange rate) would help assure preventive compliance, as well as cover costs.[4]

References

  1. ^ (1) Zand, Joel R., Esq.. ""New York City's Dog Poop Scoop Law"". Legal issues and laws affecting dogs, companion animals, and their people. Joel R. Zand. http://www.doglaw.com/New-York-City-Laws/new-york-dog-poop-law.html. Retrieved 2006-06-06. 
    New York attorney and dog lawyer
    (2) ""Wildlife"". NYC Health Code. Animal Care & Control of New York City. http://www.nycacc.org/researchtools.htm?Wildlife#. Retrieved 2006-06-06. 
  2. ^ Coliform and E. coli are commonly-used field indicators of fecal contamination by animals (including human)
  3. ^ ""Scoop the Poop Campaign"". BurlingtonEcoInfo > Water > issues > Scoop the Poop. University of Vermont. n.d.. http://www.uvm.edu/~empact/water/scoop_poop.php3. Retrieved 2006-06-06. 
  4. ^ Kargl, Reinhard (July 2005). "A Pooper Scooper Law with Bite. The Germans consider DNA testing to match poop to pooch". Science (Popular Science). http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/459bf79cab965010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html. Retrieved 2006-06-06. 

Bibliography

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