Posts tagged "PetWaste"

Betty White Gets Two-Book Deal
The "Hot in Cleveland" actress has inked a deal to write two books for G. P. Putnam's Sons., reports USA Today. The first, due out next year, is titled "Listen Up!" and will be filled with observations and lessons learned. But it's the second book we can't wait to get our paws on. "The Zoo and I: Betty and Her Friends" will feature White's stories and pictures at the Los Angeles Zoo, where she's a longtime member of the board. The second book is set to publish in 2012.

Want Dog Owners to Pick Up After Their Pooches? Spray Paint The Poo
An unusual plan to encourage dog owners to properly dispose of their pets' waste appears to be working in Poole, Dorset, England, reports BBC News. After close to 200 piles of dog doo were found in an alley near Poole High School, workers spray painted the problematic waste a bright green to draw attention to the mess and shock the owners into picking them up. So far, the plan seems to be working.

Teen Banned From Playing Basketball With Service Dog
A teenager in Chicago has been denied the chance to play basketball in the Special Olympics because her service dog will not be allowed on the court, reports the Chicago Tribune. The 17-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, uses her trained service dog to carry around a four-pound oxygen tank, but the Illinois Special Olympics President said they had to make their ruling based on the safety of everyone involved, and, apparently, a service dog on the court was deemed unsafe. This game is just beginning, however; a local advocacy group has filed a lawsuit on the girl's behalf.

It's not often that being a responsible pet owner is profitable, but some dog owners in Ithaca, N.Y. have found a way to make that happen (and clean up their dog park in the process).

The Tompkins County Dog Owner Group has teamed up with Cayuga Compost to find a useful solution for all the poo left behind in the city's dog park, reports the Associated Press. Considering some 50,000 dogs visit the park throughout the year (leaving about 1,000 pounds of waste monthly), it only made sense that the group not only wanted to find the best way to rid the park of the waste, but make money doing it.

Leon Kochian, a spokesman for TC DOG (the not-for-profit volunteer group involved in funding the project), biology professor at Cornell University and owner of a yellow Labrador retriever, told the Associated Press, "There was a large Dumpster at the park, and it was just always overflowing with plastic bags of dog poop. The amount was unbelievable."

So sure, it makes sense to compost the doggy doo. But why hasn't this been done before? The Associated Press reports that, according to an assistant program director for the U.S. Composting Council, dog and cat waste isn't suitable to use for vegetable gardens and topsoil because of parasites and pathogens.