LEAVE NO TRACE Why do dog owners leave poop behind?
After personal experience on local trails and survey results from ODNR park managers indicating that dog waste is a big problem in parks, I started looking for articles that might explain why dog owners leave their dog's poop behind.
Excerpts from Blenderman et al. (2017)
The purpose of this study was to explore dog guardian behaviors regarding pet waste and self-reported attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions and behavior concerning the disposal of their dog’s waste on OSMP lands. The TPB served as a useful framework to explore how dog guardians’ attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control might influence behavioral intentions, as well as self-reported behavior, regarding the disposal of pet waste on OSMP lands.
Results indicate that direct and indirect management actions could further mitigate dog waste impacts on OSMP lands. Results from observation sessions suggest that the majority of dog guardians properly disposed of waste. With regard to the separate, self-reported survey results, perceived behavioral control, which was operationalized as perceived difficulty or ease, was the most significant predictor of behavioral intent and self-reported behavior regarding proper disposal of dog waste. Respondents indicated that more pet waste-related infrastructure, such as bag stations, and receptacles would influence them to properly dispose of their dog’s waste in the future. Lengthening the on-leash zones at voice and sight areas/trailheads and increasing the number and frequency of available bags and receptacles are direct strategies that may increase compliance. Pairing these direct approaches with indirect strategies aimed at influencing behaviors by highlighting the ease of properly disposing of dog waste are options that OSMP lands, and other similar protected areas facing comparable pet waste issues, should consider. However, all of these recommendations must be considered with regard to overall
objectives for high quality visitor experiences for all visitors on OSMP lands.
So, Blenderman et al. (2017) conclude that most dog owners dispose of their dog's poop properly, and that those who don't feel that it's too difficult or inconvenient to do so. This seems to align with my personal observation. When visiting a metro park with frequent dog waste stations (which each included bags and a receptacle), I noticed almost no dog waste outside of the designated receptacles. The suggestion to use signage that emphasizes the ease of properly disposing of dog waste is not a method I've seen before, nor one that would have occurred to me. I wonder how well that kind of messaging would work. My instinct, which may of course be false, is that it might have a negative effect in that it might annoy visitors. Though, my instinct is based on growing up in an east-coast community, where attitudes are different than in the Midwest. I think it would be safer to let the dog waste stations speak for themselves in regards to their ease of use.
References.
Blenderman, A., Taff, B. D., Schwartz, F., & Lawhon, B. (2017). Dog Owner’s Perceptions and Behaviors Related to the Disposal of Pet Waste in City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. City of Boulder, Colorado, Open Space and Mountain Parks by Pennsylvania State University and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.
No generative AI was used in the creation of this post.
