The end of the winter months can’t come quick for most Calgary homeowners, and if you’ve got a dog (or more than one dog!) at home, you’ll be watching the snow melt carefully. The big snowdrifts that build up all over Calgary make it hard for dogs to get outside and get the exercise that they need, and it also blocks the scents of their usual toileting spaces meaning that your winter yard can easily get filled with frozen dog poop. One of your first spring yard clean up jobs once the snow melts will be to go around with a shovel or a pooper scooper to get rid of all the poop leftover from winter.
Why You Need To Clear The Poop
It may sound obvious, but there’s a lot of strong reasons why a dog poop clean up mission should be first on your spring yard clean up checklist:
- Avoid leaching toxins – as the snow melts, the April showers start and the air and soil temperatures start to rise. All of these factors bring all the bacteria and microbes in your soil out of hibernation, and they begin their job of breaking down any and all organic matter that comes near them. This of course includes dog poop, and, unlike poop from herbivores like horses, cows and chickens that act as fantastic fertilisers, the carnivorous digestive tracts of dogs means their waste is full of harmful toxins. Left unattended, dog waste will quickly decompose and leach all the toxins into your soil, which in turn can poison your plants and ruin your grass.
- Keep your yard free of pests – despite being full of these harmful toxins, dog poop is an attractive food source for a variety of pests, such as rats and mice who will start to seek out your garden as the best free restaurant in the neighbourhood. As any pest control expert will tell you, once you’ve got a rodent infestation on your property, it can be expensive and time intensive to get them to leave, so it’s a good idea to pick up your dog poop quickly and dispose of it in containers with a lid so that the smell doesn’t lure in unwanted guests to your property.
- Make your yard smell fresh – finally, there’s nothing like stepping out in your springtime garden and smelling the scents of the season. There’s a freshness that comes from the new growth, and the sweet smells coming from your plants attracts humans as well as local pollinators to your yard. Dog poop has a distinctive scent that is masked when it’s frozen during the winter months. However, as the snow melts, so will your dog’s waste, and it’s amazing how quickly the sweet scents in your garden can get overpowered by the smell of pet waste.
It doesn’t really matter whether only one of these reasons for a spring dog poop clean up session speaks to you, or all three; the overall message is that when it comes to pet waste removal Calgary pet owners need to take action as soon as the snowpack melts in your yard.
Dog Waste Removal Services
One of the main reasons that some Calgary pet owners choose to ignore the reasoning behind a spring dog poop clean up mission is that it’s a gross job that smells pretty bad throughout. It can also take forever if your dog is one who likes to visit the entire yard before finding somewhere to poop. This is where you’ll want to think about hiring professional dog waste removal services to help you get a head start this spring. These businesses specialise in dog poop clean up, and will send a team of pet waste experts to your property to take care of your dog poop problem. In most cases, you can provide them with a special bin for any dog waste (make sure it’s made from plastic or metal, and has a lid that firmly shuts to keep the smells inside), but you can also pay them a small fee to dispose of all the pet waste they collect off site. Of course, these services cost money, and balancing the cost versus benefits is one of the most common dilemmas that homeowners are faced with when it comes to property maintenance projects.
Save With A Scoop Cut N Shovel Subscription
Here at Scoop Cut N Shovel, we recognise the need to find a balance between taking a long time to clean up the dog poop by yourself and feeling like you’re spending a small fortune to get our team of pet waste experts to come and take care of the problem for you. This is why we offer a variety of payment packages to help reduce your property maintenance costs. For example, the longer that you sign up for, the lower your weekly dog waste pick up costs will be. A 4 week package for 2 dogs comes in at $18.50* a week, while signing up for a 12 week package reduces the per week cost to just $17*! You’ll get even more value when you sign up for an entire year. Each block of time also gives you a hefty discount on your initial spring cleanup: up to 30%* with a year’s dog waste subscription. It’s easy to see that there are some significant savings to be had as well as long term peace of mind.
Bundle To Save Even More
Scoop Cut N Shovel are more than just dog waste removal experts (though it’s something that we’re very good at!). We also offer a wide variety of property maintenance services, from one off spring and fall yard clean ups to a regular lawn mowing service and even snow and ice removal during the winter months. As with the dog poop clean up deals, the more you buy, the more you can save. The ultimate savings comes from our complete property maintenance package which gives you heavily discounted rates on all our services throughout the year. Start saving time and money today and give your yard the best start this spring.
*Pricing and discounts as of May 2024, and are subject to change.