PA Environment Digest

Dog owners in Northern Liberties and Queen Village in Philadelphia have just three weeks to make their canine a contender for the title of Philly Water’s Best Friend.

The Philadelphia Water Department’s casting call for “spokesdogs” ends February 15; top prize: $200 in gifts from a local pet store.

The purpose of the Philly Water’s Best Friend Spokesdog Competition is to make the Delaware River cleaner. Organizers will accomplish this by showing pet owners the importance of picking up their dogs’ waste.

Starting March 1, visitors to the contest’s website can vote daily for two finalists; one from Northern Liberties and one from Queen Village. A panel of judges will then pick a winner from each neighborhood’s 15 finalists following pageant-style competitions in June. The only “doodie” required of each winner is to attend three community events with their spokesdog to hand out bag dispensers and brochures.

“Believe it or not, the average dog goes over 20 times a week, leaving up to 200 pounds of waste in its tracks per year,” said Joanne Dahme, general manager of public affairs at the Philadelphia Water Department. “Multiply that by almost 900 neighborhood dogs and, well, you’re talking about 90 tons of poop threatening our drinking water. And that doesn’t even include dogs that aren’t registered. It’s important to get that picked up.”

Many people see dog waste as an environmentally-friendly fertilizer, but this is untrue. Dog waste is a pollutant that spreads when rain and melting snow breaks it down and washes it into storm drains.

This runoff causes bacteria and parasites to contaminate local waterways, but this can be prevented. All owners have to do is flush their dog’s waste down the toilet (not in the bag). If that is not an option, they can also discard it in the trash using biodegradable bags.

Sponsors of this program include the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Philadelphia Water Department, and the Queen Village Neighbors Association. Prizes are being donated by Chic Petique and WAG: Whole Animal Gym.

Visit Philly Water’s Best Friend Spokesdog Competition webpage for more information or call the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary at 800-445-4935, extension 112.

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