No matter where you are, pick up your pup’s poop. Period. End of story.

Seems fairly obvious, and yet we all know dog owners who choose not to exercise this common courtesy. Somewhere in my neighborhood, there is a pup who seems to only find release on my front yard, and his owner consistently skips the “pickup.”

If you regularly ignore this rule, and often the law, consider why it’s important to pick poop up in the first place.

The most important issue is sanitary cleanliness,” Timothy explains. “Next would be the higher concentration of parasites like giardia, roundworm, hookworm, and all those other intestinal worms [that can accumulate in areas where poop is not picked up]. Pet waste also has an effect on groundwater from urban runoff and can contaminate it if left unattended.”

I say pick it up because poop is disgusting. I don’t want to walk down a sidewalk or trail and smell an offending odor, only to realize I’ve stepped in your dog’s mess and will now have a reminder of your poor poop manners for the rest of my walk. Don’t even get me started on the pups who stay with me who like to eat poop they find on the trail. Gag!