Dog poop became headline news in the UK for all the wrong reasons in 2011 when a little girl named Amiee Langdon put her hand in some doggie poop and then wiped her left eye. She was taken to hospital where tests confirmed she had picked up the infection toxocariasis.
Toxocariasis is a roundworm found in dogs and spread through their faeces. This disease can cause stomach upsets, sore throats, asthma and even blindness in rare cases.
In the UK. The 1996 dog's act states that if your dog fouls in a public place you must as the owner, clean it up. There is a £50 on the spot fine if apprehended and the owner can be taken to court and prosecuted with a maximum fine of up to £ 1000 should they refuse to pay.
Again in the UK the local council has a duty to keep public areas clean and free of dog poop. Nowadays different councils employ of tactics including CCTV, spray painting, patrolling by environmental rangers together with the use of special dog bins.
Nonetheless, Fido, Rover and their chums have to do what nature and intended on a very regular basis. With the dog population exceeding sixty million in the US and over twelve million in the UK this amounts to a sizeable daily problem, not only in public places but in the back yard as well!
In America cleaning up said problem is a very lucrative business. One example is the couple who work in the Long Island area, charging $12 per week for one dog and $ 21 for two dogs twice a week. Working 150 stops per week, this amounts to a very healthy income. All in all it is estimated that this amounts to a $ 2.6 billion industry in the USA. Who said there are no opportunities in a recession! There is even an association of animal waste specialists http://www.apaws.org/ who are a well recognised body in an industry that boats around 500 independents and at least three national franchises. Industry pundits state that there are substantial environmental and health concerns driving this industry. They also state that when you factor in the high cost of hospital treatment and need for people to spend longer at work in a tough economy and therefore wanting more " bought in " services, the industry is in its infancy.
In the UK, there is little visibility of such an industry emerging. This must represent an opportunity to " get in on the ground floor " and scoop up the rewards ( excuse the pun ) But in all seriousness there are a number of factors that drive the need for such an industry to grow. People are becoming much more environmentally aware these days. Pet ownership is increasing daily and regulation from Europe is bound to increase the need to legislate in this area. Who knows, you could be the first "poop scoop millionaire!"
Toxocariasis is a roundworm found in dogs and spread through their faeces. This disease can cause stomach upsets, sore throats, asthma and even blindness in rare cases.
In the UK. The 1996 dog's act states that if your dog fouls in a public place you must as the owner, clean it up. There is a £50 on the spot fine if apprehended and the owner can be taken to court and prosecuted with a maximum fine of up to £ 1000 should they refuse to pay.
Again in the UK the local council has a duty to keep public areas clean and free of dog poop. Nowadays different councils employ of tactics including CCTV, spray painting, patrolling by environmental rangers together with the use of special dog bins.
Nonetheless, Fido, Rover and their chums have to do what nature and intended on a very regular basis. With the dog population exceeding sixty million in the US and over twelve million in the UK this amounts to a sizeable daily problem, not only in public places but in the back yard as well!
In America cleaning up said problem is a very lucrative business. One example is the couple who work in the Long Island area, charging $12 per week for one dog and $ 21 for two dogs twice a week. Working 150 stops per week, this amounts to a very healthy income. All in all it is estimated that this amounts to a $ 2.6 billion industry in the USA. Who said there are no opportunities in a recession! There is even an association of animal waste specialists http://www.apaws.org/ who are a well recognised body in an industry that boats around 500 independents and at least three national franchises. Industry pundits state that there are substantial environmental and health concerns driving this industry. They also state that when you factor in the high cost of hospital treatment and need for people to spend longer at work in a tough economy and therefore wanting more " bought in " services, the industry is in its infancy.
In the UK, there is little visibility of such an industry emerging. This must represent an opportunity to " get in on the ground floor " and scoop up the rewards ( excuse the pun ) But in all seriousness there are a number of factors that drive the need for such an industry to grow. People are becoming much more environmentally aware these days. Pet ownership is increasing daily and regulation from Europe is bound to increase the need to legislate in this area. Who knows, you could be the first "poop scoop millionaire!"
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