"the Forgotten Form Of Pollution"

[mita]

It often feels to me like just a politically correct cover for not liking or for fearing pet animals.

I thought the same thing. What was written was positively phobic.

Despite all the excrement deposited on the ground by farming & native animals and bird life... that person singled out pet dogs. Do some head-counting of the total for the former, and you'd be occupied for quite a few eternities.

So, even statistically, dogs would hardly register on the person's feared scale of excrement spilling into water-courses. Which was going on long before dogs were kept as pets. I'm sure dinosaurs didn't wear nappies!

I'd bet there's a tendency to be phobic at the bottom (apt word, there) of that 'case'.

He is right in the chemicals etc that are now found in wormers, foods etc that have gradually increased as man has become more "civilised!

I had a study on this somewhere, as I too did not understand how dog excretia could be harmful.

So are modern-day chemicals found in many creatures who walk, slide, fly, swim...& also includes humans. This person is singling out pet dogs. Even if the last pet dog breathed its last, there's still a huge menu of man-made chemicals & other hazards being transferred via urine & faeces.

No one is saying that the excrement of pet dogs shouldn't be disposed of responsibly. In fact, our parks are full of signs directing people to do the right thing. And general health advice is to do a daily poop patrol in our own backyards. That's become the bleeding obvious. Can hardly be said to be 'forgotten'. Nor should human fecal pollution of environmental waters be forgotten, as illustrated in this US study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1694258/

Here's also some reading that broadens out the picture of the effects of biowaste (with residues of pharmaceuticals & metabolites), via urine & faeces, from humans and animals (& birds).

http://www.actavetscand.com/content/43/S1/S69

Edited October 2, 2010 by mita

[Muttaburra]

Thanks for your post.

"The Forgotten Form of Pollution

Each pooch sqanders 0.84ha of land per year on grain and meat productions while world food supplies for humans struggle to keep pace with population increase demands. Already educated people are making a conscious choice not to have a pet, and so reduce a serious environmental pollution."

The above words themselves might be considered a cause of pollution.

Seems like a very one sided argument. I would imagine the grain and meat in pet food would mostly be "off-cuts, offal, sinew and bone", in other words parts of the animal that is not for human consumption.

I take it the author of the quoted comments won't require any of the following, and nor should any dog owners provide it for him/her.

They won't want to be found by a dog in a search and rescue mission.

This person won't mind the demise of society as we know it, if their were no Customs sniffer dogs to help protect our country from contraband and drugs.

They won't want to eat meat themselves, since without the working dogs, meat would be so expensive, only the very rich could afford it.

Someone they care about won't be comforted by a by a hospital assistance dog.

If they lose their sight or hearing, then they won't want to benefit from an assistance dog.

Of course they will need a very expensive medical insurance that we all will have to pay if we "get rid of dogs", this will be due to the increasing risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes and many other diseases that can be reduced by owning a dog, and all the diseases that come with inactivity from not having regular exercise walking the dog.

There would be more poison pollutants if "ratter dogs" were not used.

This list is by no means exhaustive.

[Wazzat Xolo]

Great posts Mita and Muttaburra

[Staranais]

They won't want to be found by a dog in a search and rescue mission.

We will do our best to find him anyway, though...

Great post, Muttaburra.

[Muttaburra]

There are also some good arguments that the "World food shortage" could be greatly ameleorated by reducing waste.

And not just waste of "excess food" that restaurants and comsumers throw in the bin. Other kinds of waste include poor land and water management.

Other factors include the economies of the world, farmers still dump tons of crops, cut down their orchards, let their fields lie fallow or "under-produce" when under pressure from low prices. Some cannot even afford to harvest what they grow.

Most food shortages are due to management issues.