Dog Waste Pollution: How Is Dog Poop an Environmental Hazard?

This second episode of Terra's Discover Trail talks about how to properly pick up after your dog and what environmental hazards exist when you don't. In case you were not aware, dog waste produces pollution in several forms. I describe how.

Transcript:

Chapter 1: Intro

0:00

0 seconds

P you Roy, that's a new one from you.

0:03

3 seconds

You might be small, but these little droppings are deadly.

0:07

7 seconds

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Terra's Nature Discovery Trail. You know, dogs are wonderful, wonderful companions.

0:15

15 seconds

Just like me and you, they have to poop.

0:18

18 seconds

And sometimes when you're outside, it might be pretty gross to pick it up, but you have your dog back. Today, I'm going

0:25

25 seconds

to be showing you how to properly pick up after your dog. dispose of it so that we could leave our nature healthy.

0:36

36 seconds

We'll talk about that and much more. Wow, Roy, that really stuck.

Chapter 2: How to pick up after your dog

0:45

45 seconds

Allow me to share with you how I pick up after my dog. First, you're going to take your bag dispenser and you're going to

0:53

53 seconds

take the bag. Now, once you have your bag, you're going to put your hand straight in. Then, once you have it in, you're going to kneel down.

1:03

1 minute, 3 seconds

Once you're down, you're going to grab the poop. Then, put your hand inside out like so. You're going to tie the bag into a knot.

1:14

1 minute, 14 seconds

Voila. We've closed the bag. Let's go dump it in the trash. We're at the trash now. Dump it in. Close it. And you're

1:23

1 minute, 23 seconds

done. Good job, guys. Keep that up and your parents might give you a bigger allowance so you could buy more dog bags. Oh my. What is going on over here?

Chapter 3: Doing our due diligence practice

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1 minute, 33 seconds

Looks like someone didn't put this back into its tray. It's a little rusty.

1:38

1 minute, 38 seconds

Let's do our due diligence and put it neatly back inside. Wow, we helped.

1:47

1 minute, 47 seconds

Tisk, tisk, tisk. Someone didn't take care of their lawn or they just didn't pick up after their dog. Did you know that lawn care consists of picking up

Chapter 4: Color patches in grass and lawn care

1:56

1 minute, 56 seconds

your dog's poop? Because dog poop can actually remove the color of your green grass. Leaving it there can take the nutrients from that soil and turn it

2:05

2 minutes, 5 seconds

colorless. That's why some lawns may have color patches or even yellow splotches because dogs peed there. Tell me this. What do cows eat?

Chapter 5: Quiz - What do cows eat?

Chapter 6: Answer

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2 minutes, 19 seconds

Good job. Nice.

2:20

2 minutes, 20 seconds

I hope you said plants like grass. You know, grass is very natural. It comes from the earth. And normally it doesn't

2:29

2 minutes, 29 seconds

really have preservatives or toxic chemicals. So cows eat it naturally. So when they eat it, guess what comes out?

2:37

2 minutes, 37 seconds

More grass, but as a fertilizer. See, it's different from dog poop because dog poop has byproducts, dyes, and man-made

2:46

2 minutes, 46 seconds

synthetic materials. Now, these chemicals when released into the environment, they aren't very helpful to its surrounding ecosystem. When it

2:55

2 minutes, 55 seconds

washes up from rainstorms, it removes itself into the drain systems. Dog food also has dyes in them like yellow five,

Chapter 7: Toxic Dyes

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3 minutes, 4 seconds

red number 40. These toxic dyes are not only in dog food, but they're even in your food. Candies, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, even. Oh, Skittles.

Chapter 8: Stepping in poo

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3 minutes, 17 seconds

Oh my goodness. Ew. See, this is why I appreciate when people can pick up after their dogs. I can smell that from here.

3:26

3 minutes, 26 seconds

I do not want to smell this in my house or in my car. Here are some other things you might want to know about the dangers of leaving pet waste outside in nature.

Chapter 9: Poop in Waterways

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3 minutes, 35 seconds

Don't let your dog poop in or around water bodies like lakes, ponds, and rivers because that is the best and

3:43

3 minutes, 43 seconds

easiest place for the material and the waste to flow into the natural environment and get into your fish. And you like fish, right?

Chapter 10: Stay hydrated

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3 minutes, 55 seconds

This is a reminder to stay hydrated. Not bad.

4:05

4 minutes, 5 seconds

And I get it. Picking up your dog waste is not fun. But just don't do this.

Chapter 11: What not to do

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4 minutes, 16 seconds

Don't cover up your dog waste with debris. That's irresponsible. Please dispose of it the correct way. How can you help? Well, Tara wants you to know

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4 minutes, 24 seconds

that you could properly pick up your dog waste and throw it away correctly. Learn more about this at terraonthebench.com.

Chapter 12: Human differences

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4 minutes, 34 seconds

You know, it's really easy to pick up after yourself as a human because we're taught how to. Now, as a pet owner, it's

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4 minutes, 42 seconds

also important to do the same for your pet. They'll appreciate it and everyone else around you will appreciate it. So, the next time you're using the bathroom,

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4 minutes, 50 seconds

just remember dogs got to go, too. So, go out, enjoy nature, and be good stewards. We'll see you next time. Now

Chapter 13: A word from Terra

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4 minutes, 59 seconds

that Tira got to talk to you a little bit more about dog waste disposal, she wants to share with you how she feels.

5:08

5 minutes, 8 seconds

She's feeling confident that you'll get this. Isn't that right, Tira?

Chapter 14: Surprise

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5 minutes, 13 seconds

You bet. And I can't wait. This is going to be so fun. Do it live.

5:17

5 minutes, 17 seconds

Wow. I'll write it and we'll do it

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