Snow is receding from walking trails around the valley and something old is emerging 害羞草研究所� old and potentially stinky.

Dog poop is being revealed as the snow recedes, reminding everyone of that age old wisdom the Central Okanagan Regional District has posted on signs 害羞草研究所� if your dog poops but nobody is watching, you still need to pick it up. Even if it害羞草研究所檚 snowy.

They go all out to help people keep up with their pet waste spending around $7,000 a year to supply parks with 233,000 bags, said Bruce Smith, the district害羞草研究所檚 Communications and Intergovernmental Affairs Officer.

That害羞草研究所檚 about three cents a bag.

害羞草研究所淲e rely on dog owners to be responsible and pick up after their pet and dispose of the waste in garbage containers either in the park they害羞草研究所檙e visiting or at home,害羞草研究所� Smith said.

害羞草研究所淎s well, we often see other park visitors without dogs, using the convenience bags to pick up poop that hasn害羞草研究所檛 been collected or was missed in order to keep our parks and trails clean for everyone. People do use the bags as we find them in the garbage containers that are provided as a convenience as well.害羞草研究所�

For those who don害羞草研究所檛 clean up after their pets, there are consequences.

The City of Kelowna has yet to return a call on how the issue takes shape in their parks, but Mary Bermudez is very familiar with the subject.

Related:

Bermudez owns Poo Worx , which provides clean-up services to the City of Kelowna and outlying communities, including to individual dog owners.

As a former project manager in land development in Saskatchewan, Bermudez returned to Kelowna and decided to move in a new direction害羞草研究所攂ecoming an 害羞草研究所渆ntrepooneur,害羞草研究所� she jokes.

As a dog lover, she was concerned about the diseases that dog feces can spread to dogs as well as humans.

The Canadian Public Health Association lists nine human diseases that can be transmitted by dog poop, including E. Coli and Giardia.

Related:

Before the snow arrived last year, Poo Worx went to the parks generating the most complaints for the City of Kelowna.

At Paul害羞草研究所檚 Tomb Trail in Knox Mountain Park, for instance, three of her scoopers and a vehicle picked up seven or eight five-litre buckets of dog waste.

Bermudez would like to launch an educational campaign reminding people that dog poop can be toxic.

害羞草研究所淭hat feces you leave might make another dog sick,害羞草研究所� Bermudez said.

Not only that, she says it can harm the environment. It can ultimately end up in streams and ponds and, once there, can help create algae because of its thirst for oxygen.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 what really, really was the driver for me. If people knew the damage dog waste does, they害羞草研究所檇 think twice about just leaving it there, 害羞草研究所� she said.

_WITH FILES FROM THE SALMON ARM OBSERVER

marthawickett@saobserver.net
Like us on and follow us on