What’s Your Doggy Doo Doing?

When pet waste is left on the ground, rain and snowmelt can wash it into storm drains or directly into waterways. This “stormwater runoff” can contaminate our sources of drinking water. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey estimate that animal waste is to blame for 20 to 30 percent of water pollution in America. Animal waste breeds harmful bacteria, promotes excessive plant growth, and causes algae blooms, which can kill fish and other animals.

Check out these other facts:

                                  

Designed by Frank McShane

What we are doo-ing

 

Philly Water Best Friend – Partner Program

We’re partnering with shelters, doggy daycares, shops, and vets around the City of Philadelphia to provide dog owners with free waste bags! Each partner will also have educational materials, our new Smokey the Bear-inspired poster featuring our 2019 Spokesdog Dolphina, and a chance to win prizes through a raffle.

 

 

Below is a list of our current Philly Water Best Friend partners:

Center City Veterinary Hospital

Wissahickon Creek Veterinary Hospital

Simmons Animal Hospital

Girard Vet Clinic

Barkadelphia Doggie Daycare

Morris Animal Refuge

Pan Dog Center

Street Tails Animal Rescue

Art Museum Veterinary Center

Emancipet

Spokesdog Competition

In 2019, PDE and the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) worked to combat dog waste in a creative way: a Spokesdog competition. Following a four-year hiatus, this competition returned with a social media campaign and special focus on shelter animals by partnering with Morris Animal Refuge. Four local pups were selected by Morris for the competition and local dog lovers got to pick their favorite with likes on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All four dogs found new homes by the end of the campaign, including Dolphina, a five-year-old pit mix who won the competition with 374 votes.

Check out a video about Morris Animal Shelter’s participation in the 2019 Spokesdog Competition:

Unsure about the connection between scooping poop and clean water? Visit phillyh2o.info/dog-waste

Check out our previous pageants and winners on our flickr page.

Contact us if you’d like to launch a similar campaign.