Three times in the last two weeks, I’ve been around a person (a girl, of course), who has referred to their baby’s poop as cute. And two times, the baby turned out to be a puppy. Now I don’t have kids of my own, but I have had puppies and have never referred to dog poop as “cute.” Filthy and disgusting yes, cute never! I didn’t go into the effects of what this “cute” poo can do to us as a society, I just uttered what my father uttered many times while he was alive over you girls, and that was “women.”

And then, I’m on a channel here in Carlsbad with my friend (who I’m going to rename no name for the sake of being lynched by the environmental people) and our dogs. Well, she has a dog that looks like a horse, and I’m surprised to see this mountain of dogs pottying her in the water. Again the phrase pronounced by my father comes to mind while he let out a deep sigh. Well I guess she’s not afraid of lynching since she posted this photo with her dog doing her doo on her Facebook for all to see. And I guess this just goes to show the power you girls have over us, and why I didn’t tell her, because she’s so cute. If this had been one of my friends and her dog had done what her dog did in the water, she would have dived headfirst to get those things out, real quick. The power that you girls have over us guys is another story in itself, but you have it, because you girls can (and can’t) make guys do some crazy things.

Anyway, back to the dog poop (although I think girl power is more interesting), this dog poop thing is very important. My dogs and I love Del Mar beach, and we often go there to hang out. I’m in awe of how many people I see with their dogs and what they let them do in the water there, and then cruelly get that cheeky look on their face like no one is watching. Let me tell you something friend, we are watching you and we will remember what you look like. Is it any wonder why some beaches have to close due to such high levels of bacteria on them? And I have to admit that I was guilty until a few years ago, because I just didn’t know about this water damage caused by dog ​​poop. And I’m assuming some of these people don’t know either, so I have a bit of tolerance. But still ignorance is no excuse. This is our world and we must take care of it. If each of us does something small every day, it will add up to something big for our environment, big in a positive way.

And cat poop is no different. Fortunately, cats don’t go for walks with their owners and there are no cat beaches, because all the dogs would scare them away, but still, there are stray and outdoor cats that just go and run their business where they want, which leads to storm drain runoff coming into contact with your poop, which also increases bacteria levels. Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite found in cat feces. Their eggs can cause brain damage to babies whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. Brain disease can also occur in people with a poor immune support system. Additionally, Toxoplasma gondii has also been shown to cause harm to sea otters and other wildlife.

Knowledge is not power. Having knowledge and doing something with that knowledge, now that’s power. So start by cleaning up after your pet, in and out of the water to help reduce bacteria levels on beaches and waterways. With 77 million dog owners and 93 million cat owners in the US, if each of us did a little, it would add up to a lot. And keeping our environment clean is very powerful for us and our children. Well, I don’t have kids (yet), but you know what I mean.

And for those of you who hate cleaning up after your pet, and I think we all do, there’s good news on the horizon, where you’ll have the best of both worlds. Not cleaning up after your pet and helping reduce bacteria levels on our beaches, what more could you ask for? Okay, maybe a million dollars, sorry I can’t help you. And please girls, be careful with that power you have over us guys, it is very strong and we are weak and weak around it.