There’s new research published in the British Ecological Society Journal, Ecological Solutions and Evidence that suggests dogs who are walked in nature reserves but whose pet parents don’t scoop their poop are adversely adding to local biodiversity.
Yuck. That’s not cool at all!
The researchers at Ghent University estimated that each year, dog feces and urine add an average of 11kg of nitrogen and 5kg of phosphorus per hectare to nature reserves (specifically near the Belgian city of Gent). While poop is often used for fertilization, this ‘neglected fertilization’ as the researchers call it is substantial and could be detrimental to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
When you figure that the estimates of the amount of nitrogen that was previously negligible in recording is already significant because of the total levels of nitrogen being added through Europe because of fossil fuel emissions and agriculture (ranging from 5 to 25kg of nitrogen per hectare)–this is concerning.
Professor Pieter De Frenne of Ghent University was the lead author of the study and said, “We were surprised by how high nutrient inputs from dogs could be. Atmospheric nitrogen inputs from agriculture, industry and traffic rightfully receive a lot of policy attention, but dogs are entirely neglected in this respect.”
In essence, dog poop does a lot of not so great stuff to the ecosystem and needs dog parents to SCOOP THE POOP UP!
The research team found that when all dogs studied were leashed, while the wider preserve area was less littered, the concentrated areas around paths had nutrient inputs of phosphorus and nitrogen that exceeded legal limits for fertilization of agricultural land–a BIG problem since this is nature preserve land in the first place!
They looked at scenarios where dogs were on leashes but all the owners picked up their dog’s poop and the researchers found this reduced fertilization levels for nitrogen by 56% and for phosphorus by 97%. Increased nutrients are a problem for nature reserves as though increased plant growth might sound good, dog poop typically fertilizes those overachieving and demanding species that will outcompete rarer species of plant life and reduce biodiversity.
Bottom line is no matter where you are, picking up your dog’s poop is important (albeit likely more important in some places than others.
And that’s exactly why Bernie’s Perfect Poop is KEY key for every dog’s diet!
Perfect Poop is designed to literally give your dog the best poop ever. Okay…okay…our MAIN focus is on ensuring their GUT health is in check because good dog health begins in the gut!
But if your dog’s gut health is in check, they’ll be pooping that stuff you dream about scooping–the right texture, color and consistency (minus a lot of that knock-you-out smell) makes it a no-brainer when it comes to scooping all the poop!
The premium fiber in Bernie’s Perfect Poop firms up your dog’s stool as it travels through his digestive system and allows just the right absorption of nutrients to go all over his body to fuel him for his best life.
The pre and probiotics in Perfect Poop help balance his gut microbiome, so what comes out isn’t a nasty gob of goo, and the digestive enzymes in Perfect Poop encourage optimal health by helping break food down for maximum absorption (meaning less of the nasty leftover for you to even have to pickup)!
It’s obvious that when we leave our dog’s poop on the ground for some poor soul to step in (eeeewwwww) we’re doing more than making a nasty mess and being inconsiderate dog parents.
We’re actually leaving our dog’s prints in the earth–and not in a good way for the earth or the environment. So make picking up poop something you WANT to do, and do that by ensuring your dog’s poop is perfect every time with Bernie’s Perfect Poop!
