Success StoryChanging perceptions about dog excrement and water quality in Kentucky
Changing perceptions about dog excrement and water quality in Kentucky
Author: Brad Lee
Planning Unit: Plant and Soil Sciences
Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Dog excrement in urban environments is one of the primary sources of nutrient runoff that can lead eutrophication of Kentucky waterways. We developed an outreach program, supported by the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, to bring awareness to this important issue. A baseline was established by counting the number of people that pick up their dog’s excrement at four popular dog parks in Lexington in September 2019 over a four hour period each day for 7 days. Following this data collection, an educational campaign was initiated which included in-person and online pledges, personal interactions, social media educational videos and educational banners installed at each dog park. In September of 2020 the counting of people who pick up after their dog was repeated. Data collected indicates that awareness and education may have contributed to the increase in the number of people who pick up after their dog at popular dog parks in Lexington, Kentucky.
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