Pet Rock in the Park Recap

We had a great time tabling at the 10th annual Pet Rock in the Park event at Deering Oaks Park! The dogs came out in droves, along with their owners, for an afternoon of music, education, and all things dogs. With lots of dogs in attendance comes lots of dog waste to deal with, and Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams was there to hand out dog waste bags to owners and discuss the impact of dog waste on our water quality.

Over 100 attendees stopped by our table to learn about the harmful bacteria pet waste brings to nearby streams, even in small quantities. The results of a recent pet waste study completed at parks in Portland and neighboring communities were on display to show how individual actions of not picking up their dog’s poop contributes to a larger problem in our heavily-used parks. The highest amount of dog waste left behind in Portland was at Ocean Ave Recreation Area, with 5.5 lbs. of poop. All that waste combined could contain over 50 BILLION fecal coliform bacteria! Gross!

Attendees also participated in an informal survey about their views of dog waste. We asked folks if they picked up after their dog, and 93% of respondents said they did. Impressive! We then asked if dog waste was “natural” or “litter,” and while we got fewer responses, they were closer to an even split, with 36% saying it was natural, 55% saying it was litter, and 9% responding in the middle, indicating they were either unsure or think it depends on the circumstances.

If you, the reader, think dog waste is always litter, you are correct! While animal waste is natural, dogs mostly eat processed food which is not part of the ecosystem and high in nutrients. One misconception we heard at the event is that dog waste will decompose and the nutrients will filter into the ecosystem. The ecosystem can only handle about one dog’s waste per acre, and with over 1,300 dogs registered in the City of Portland, that’s a lot more than our parks can handle! These nutrients and bacteria get washed into water bodies during rain and snow melt, creating harmful algae blooms and making aquatic life sick.

All these dogs produce more waste than the ecosystem can handle!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth, and remember to do your part to keep Portland’s parks and water clean!