2021 Doo the Right Thing Pet Photo Contest Opens May 1
By Melissa Walker, Environmental Education Specialist
Posted on April 29, 2021, April 29, 2021

Doo the Right Thing Photo Contest

City of Arlington dog owners, It’s time for the annual Doo the Right Thing (DTRT) contest. We are asking dog owners to take the DTRT pledge to pick up their dog’s doo and enter a photo of their dog(s).

The winner of the photo contest will be the featured Watershed Protector on the DTRT Facebook page. Additional winners will be featured in daily/monthly posts on all the DTRT Social Media Channels between October 2021 and September 2022.

Why is it important to pick up after your dog? We all know dog waste is unsightly and smells bad, but dog waste can also harbor bacteria and parasites that are dangerous to people, other pets and wildlife. When it rains bacteria such as E. coli and fecal coliform can be washed into our local waterways making them unfit for human contact. Diseases such as Salmonellosis, Yersiniosis and Campylobacteriosis can cause serious illnesses while parasites like Cyclospora, roundworms and tapeworms cause intestinal infections and gastroenteritis in humans.

 There are estimated 1.5 million dogs in the North Central Texas Region. One pile of doo might not seem like a big deal, but a few piles a day from 1.5 million dogs is a monumental problem. Dog waste that gets into local streams, creeks and lakes causes algae growth that harms aquatic life and while some animal waste can be uses as fertilizer, dog waste is harmful to your lawn and gardens.

 Here are some tips to help you keep your pledge:

  • Keep spare baggies in your car and on the leash. If you don’t have a portable waste bag dispenser for the leash, you can tie a regular grocery, sandwich, newspaper or produce bag around the handle.
  • Always throw bagged doo in a trash can or flush un-bagged doo down the toilet.
  • Pick up doo in your yard at least once a week and before forecasted rain.

 Visit www.dfwstormwater.com/petwaste to make your pledge to pick up after your dog while on walks and at home. You can then submit your dog(s) picture for the photo contest. You can make one pledge per dog. Past pledgees and contest participants are welcome (and encouraged!) to re-pledge and submit photos for the new contest. The contest begins May 1 and ends on June 30, 2021.

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