The Common Dog

Man's best friend?

Next time you take your pooch out for a walk, be sure to bring his droppings home with you. Man's best friend is guilty of excreting disease-causing materials, which according to recent studies, contaminate the environment and people's health. Scientists developed lab techniques similar to DNA fingerprinting that tracked the source of the fecal bacteria to dogs. And although methods are new, pooches may be guilty of 20 percent to 30 percent of the pollution in streams (Traci Watson, USA Today, June 7,2001).

A good way to catch stray dogs is the Collarum Trap. This trap when fired throughs a loop around the dogs head. The dog is unharmed as the loop tension relaxes when the dog stops struggling.

Disclaimer: WDC seeks to provide accurate, effective and responsible information on resolving human/wildlife conflicts. We welcome suggestions, criticisms to help us achieve this goal. The information provided is for informational purposes only and users of the information use it at their own risk. The reader must consult state/federal officials to determine the legality of any technique in the reader's locale. Some techniques are dangerous to the user and to others. WDC encourages readers to obtain appropriate training (see our informational literature at our Store ), and understand that proper animal damage control involves patience, understanding that not every technique/method works for every situation or even 100% of the time. Your use of this information is governed by this understanding. We welcome potential users of the information and photos to simply ask for permission via e-mail. Finally, WDC welcomes e-mail but understand that all e-mails become property of Wildlife Damage Control.

12/31/02