![\"Scoop](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Scoop_your_poop.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nGuardianship of a dog implies protection, custody, supervision and most importantly, responsibility. As your dog\u2019s guardian, you are responsible for managing his behavior and one of those behaviors involves going to the \u201cbathroom\u201d on his walks. You know when your dog normally \u201cpoops\u201d and even if you don\u2019t, you should never leave the house for a walk without a bag or two to pick up his eliminations. Use a plastic bag, the plastic sleeve of a newspaper, a paper bag or purchase actual poop bags designed for this purpose. I believe Amazon sells them online where you can buy 1,000 bags for $15 and they even come with a dispenser. There is no excuse not to carry them with you on every walk.<\/p>\n
I understand that many of you walk dogs after dark and you don\u2019t want to grope around in the grass trying to pick up the feces. Stress-free solution? Carry a flashlight that will allow you to see not only where your dog has eliminated so you can pick it up easily, but will also keep you from accidentally stepping into someone else\u2019s neglected mess.<\/p>\n
Besides the obvious unsightliness of piles of excrement loitering on our park lawns and streets, and the smell, dog feces carry a lot of bacteria which is released into the environment. It can be dangerous to other dogs if they get their noses too close (as they are known to do), due to exposure to worms, Giardia and even worse, Parvovirus.<\/p>\n
If you see someone\u2019s dog eliminate and the person fails to pick it up, speak up. Tell them to do their civic duty and clean up after their dog. We all share the streets and parks and have the right to walk them without seeing or stepping into someone else\u2019s lack of responsibility.<\/p>\n
Be a responsible dog owner. Feed your dog. Give him shelter, fresh water, playtime, exercise and lots of love and, please, pick up his poop.<\/p>\n