DoodyCalls: Making the world a better place to live, one scoop at a time

DoodyCalls franchisees make the world a better place to live in by helping to keep the environment clean. With upwards of 78 million dogs and 86 million cats now owned as pets in the United States, the amount of waste produced every year is monumental.

According to a recent article by The Wall Street Journal, an average sized dog produces roughly 274 pounds of waste per year. Collectively, this works out to about 10.9 million tons of fecal waste entering the environment annually. Furthermore, it’s estimated that only about half is picked up.

“What’s the big deal?” one might ask, “Doesn’t pet waste make for good fertilizer?”

Unfortunately, the answer is no – it does not. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Dog waste is an environmental pollutant. In 1991, it was placed in the same health category as oil and toxic chemicals by the Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, the EPA estimates that two or three days worth of droppings from a population of about 100 dogs can contribute enough bacteria to temporarily close a bay and all watershed areas within 20 miles to swimming and shell fishing.

Unlike other sources of contamination adding to water pollution, such as lawn fertilizer, rinse water from driveways and motor oil, dog waste produces disease-causing bacteria that can be transmitted directly to humans, especially children, and make them sick.

The longer dog waste stays on the ground, the greater a contamination becomes. Bacteria, worms and other parasites thrive in waste until it’s washed away into the water supply. Ringworm, roundworm, salmonella and giardia are examples of such bacteria, all of which are found in dog feces and are easily transferable upon contact.

The most responsible thing people can do for their family, community and environment is pick up after their pets. But many pet owners don’t have enough time to deal with the mess themselves, or simply don’t want to, and that’s where DoodyCalls steps in.

Awareness about the impact of unattended pet waste on the environment is on the rise and growing every day. To DoodyCalls franchise owners, this not only means increasing revenues, but also an increasing role in the good health of the world we live in.