The sights and smells of Lacombe Park Lake are noticeably better after a massive clean-up effort last weekend. More than 45 kg of dog feces was removed from the grounds during Poop-a-thon 2014, all thanks to a group of community minded citizens led by the Tudor Glen Veterinary Hospital.
“That was a lot of poop!” exclaimed the clinic’s operations manager Nathan Schenn. “Over 100 lbs.!”
The amount was approximately double the accounting during the inaugural Poop-a-thon held late last May when 23 kg of the filth was bagged.
“It was amazing! Going from the parking lot … I’m not kidding. My first step onto the grass, there was a huge, huge turd there. Usually you have to go a little bit under the trees but it was pretty much right there. I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be a big pick-up day. I can feel it already,’” he continued.
While the unseasonably poor May weather didn’t improve for the Saturday midday outing, the grey skies didn’t diminish the hardy collective’s enthusiasm for cleaning up the public park.
There were teams from the Edmonton Humane Society and Clippin’ Along, as well as the hospital. Their spirits were also kept high in knowing that they were raising some funds for a few worthy causes and reminding everyone of the great value of taking care of their pets and their kids.
Deworming pets, according to the hospital’s website at www.tudorglenvethospital.ca, “is one of the easiest ways of reducing the threat of infection.” Internal parasites are passed through dog feces and can infect other dogs or humans, especially children who play on the ground.
St. Albert bylaw 38/78 states that “failure to immediately remove a dog's defecation from public or private property other than the property of the dog's owner” will result in a first offence fine of $258 and $515 for the second.
Dr. Tammy Wilde is thrilled with the results and wanted to thank everyone who participated.
“Our second annual Poop-a-thon was a great success. Despite the weather, we still had great support from pet owners and our community. We recognize how difficult it can be sometimes to pick up poop at an off-leash dog park. As a result of our fundraiser, we cleaned our parks – over 100 lbs. of poop – raised some money for two great foundations, brought awareness to monthly deworming and hopefully protected some pets or kids from getting sick.”
So far, there has been more than $5,139 received and donations are still coming in. All proceeds are set to be split between the Edmonton Humane Society and the Stollery Children's Hospital.
To make a donation, call the hospital at 780-458-6501, or visit it at 1005 Tudor Glen Place.
Results
Total poop collected: 100.45 pounds<br /><br />Top poop-picking teams:<br />1. Tudor Glen Vet Hospital – 58.67 lbs.<br />2. Edmonton Humane Society – 27.76 lbs.<br />3. Clippin’ Along – 11.99 lbs.<br />4. Public Pickers – 2.023 lbs.
