Submitted by City of Olympia
With Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, many Thurston County residents are spending more time at home following social distancing guidelines. Although this time is extremely challenging, our family pets are surely thrilled by the extra time we are spending with them! Walking the dog while enjoying spring blossoms has become a much-needed break from the indoors. With more people out walking their dogs, it is even more important to pick-up after your pet.
On any given day the amount of dog waste produced by dogs in Thurston County weighs as much as a full-grown elephant! Dog waste left on the ground can lead to bacterial pollution in our local streams, lakes, and Puget Sound. Dog waste also poses a health risk to people. Children can pick up illnesses while playing outside from disease-causing bacteria and parasites found in dog waste.
Stream Team sponsors a regional outreach effort to reduce fecal coliform bacteria in Thurston County. We encourage dog owners and dog walkers to follow these simple steps:
- Pick up after your pooch.
- Bring extra bags on walks.
- Bag it and trash it.
Did you know the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Thurston County offer free on-leash pet waste bag holders and neighborhood pet waste stations? For more information visit https://streamteam.info/pet-waste/. To learn more about what you can do to protect our streams, lakes and Puget Sound, visit the Stream Team website at www.streamteam.info. Thank you for bagging and trashing your dog’s waste – every poo, every time. Your actions make a big difference!
