There’s many reasons why Calgary homeowners need to think about effective year-round property maintenance, and they fall into two broad categories. If you’re planning on staying put for the foreseeable future, then you’re investing in your own future through a month by month maintenance plan. Preventative action can reduce your ongoing property maintenance costs and helps you to keep on top of problem areas before they become catastrophic. On the other hand, if you’re looking to sell at some point soon, effective property maintenance helps to build your curb appeal, and taking care of small issues early means that you’re not going to discover bigger stumbling blocks during open visits and permit inspections.
The Impact of Pet Waste
No matter which category you see yourself in, the impact of pet waste on your property maintenance effectiveness can’t be underestimated. While dogs are always an integral part of any family that they’re part of, dealing with their waste is always seen as an unpleasant chore; no one out there actively volunteers to be on dog poop cleanup duty! However, leaving pet waste for someone else in your family to deal with can lead to a variety of different property maintenance problems:
- Lawn burn – the biggest impact that dog poop can have on your property is lawn burn. Unlike waste from herbivorous animals that can be dried and used as manure and fertilizer, dog waste contains a high level of nitrogen. This is true even if you feed your dog dry kibble; their stomach acid contents are what contribute to the acidic waste rather than what you’re feeding them. Left out on your lawn, dog poop will quickly biodegrade and the nitrogen leaches into your soil. Your grass plants are susceptible to even subtle changes in soil chemistry and will quickly wither and die.
- Rodent infestations – as gross as it may sound, rodents like rats and mice are everywhere in Calgary (and every other major human city!) even if you can’t see them. They are always on the lookout for the next tasty meal, and unfortunately dog poop is like an open invitation to a banquet for them. Rodents are creatures of habit and always look for an easy target, meaning that once they think that your garden is a reliable food source, they’ll quickly set up camp. At that point, you now have a rodent infestation to deal with as well as your pet waste problem.
- Parasite invasions – finally, your dog’s poop can be filled with parasites that invisible to the naked eye. It’s all too easy for someone in your home to step in dog waste out in your yard and then track the parasites into your home accidentally. These parasites are zoonotic, meaning that they can transfer between species, including other household pets and of course humans. Leaving your dog poop out on the yard increases your chances of some sort of parasitic disease entering your home.
Dog Waste and Winter
For most Calgary dog owners, winter is the most dangerous time when it comes to dog poop removal. Firstly, it looks like the poop will freeze almost immediately, and it can quickly get buried under the snowpack, meaning it falls into the “out of sight, out of mind” category. There’s also the issue of the cold temperatures. If you thought getting someone to take on the chore of going out to pick up dog poop in the summer was hard, wait till you try and get them to do it in negative temperatures. All of these factors mean that it’s tempting to leave your dog waste out until the snow starts to melt, but the rising temperatures will also degrade the poop. This means that all the toxins and parasites will seep into your soil along with the snow melt, causing longer term problems.
Taking Care of Business
It’s clear to see that no matter the time of year, you need to be on top of your game when it comes to pet waste removal as a critical part of your year round property maintenance plan. Some easy solutions to implement yourself include:
- Create a rota – the most obvious solution is for someone in your home to go outside with your pup and pick up the poop immediately. This has a 100% success rate, but it’s hard to find volunteers. To make sure it’s fair, set up a rota between all family members, and make sure your younger “helpers” know the importance of getting all the pet waste when it’s their turn.
- Create a doggy “bathroom” – another option is a section off part of your garden with a fence of some sort, and train your dog to use only that section when they need to poop. This will cut down on the amount of time you need to spend following your dog around and keeps all the dog waste in one location.
- Get professional help – finally, there is no shame in calling for professional help with your dog waste problem. Scoop Cut N Shovel’s team of pet poop experts will come to your house on a scheduled basis to take care of business, and we offer a variety of subscription plans based on the size of your yard and the number of dogs that you have.
Bundle Subscriptions To Save More
Once you’ve realized how much pressure is taken off by having someone else take care of your pet waste problem, you’ll probably start to wonder what other property maintenance chores can be taken off your plate. When you work with Scoop Cut N Shovel, the answer is everything. We offer subscription packages for work throughout the year, from spring and fall clean ups, summer lawncare and even snow and ice removal all winter long. You can get the best value by bundling two or more subscriptions, and our best saving is our full year round property maintenance package which gives you access to all of our services to keep your property looking great both for your family and for prospective buyers.