Most homeowners think of pet waste as a backyard nuisance. The science says otherwise. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies dog waste as a non-point-source water pollutant, in the same category as runoff from agricultural feedlots and industrial sites. A single gram of dog waste contains about 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, including pathogens that cause serious illness in humans and other dogs.
The Pathogens You Cannot See
E. coli. Several strains, including the dangerous O157:H7. Common cause of severe gastrointestinal illness. Survives in soil for weeks.
Giardia. A parasite that causes diarrhea, cramping, and dehydration. Spreads via contaminated soil and standing water. Particularly dangerous to children, immunocompromised adults, and other dogs.
Parvovirus. A highly contagious viral disease that affects dogs, especially puppies. Survives on contaminated ground for up to a year. The reason your veterinarian asks whether you have a yard with a history of unscooped waste before vaccinating a new puppy.
Roundworms and hookworms. Parasites whose eggs survive in soil for years. Can be transferred to humans, particularly children playing in contaminated yards.
The Runoff Problem in Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas drains into the White River watershed via the Illinois River, Beaver Lake, and the Buffalo River system. Pet waste left on lawns is washed by rain into storm sewers, which discharge into these waterways without treatment. The Beaver Water District — which supplies drinking water to roughly 500,000 NWA residents — has flagged residential pet waste as a measurable contributor to bacterial loading in the source watershed.
This is not a problem you can solve by composting at home. Standard backyard compost does not reach the temperatures required to kill the pathogens listed above. The proper disposal pathway is double-bagged, sealed, and routed to a permitted commercial waste facility — exactly the disposal protocol The POOlice runs on every patrol.
How Often Is Often Enough
For most NWA households with one or two dogs, biweekly patrolling keeps yard hygiene above the threshold where pathogens accumulate to meaningful levels. Households with three or more dogs, with a small yard, or with frequent young-child use of the yard typically need weekly patrolling.
Households on monthly patrolling are choosing a maintenance-only model that works well during cooler months when pathogen growth is slow but tends to fall behind during the warm humid summer months that NWA gets every year.
How The POOlice Handles Disposal
Every visit, every offender is double-bagged in heavy-duty contractor bags, sealed, and removed from your property. Nothing stays in your trash can. Disposal happens at a permitted commercial waste facility on the same day — never carried over, never combined with adjacent properties.
This is how a residential service should work. We document every visit. We carry sanitizer between patrols. We replace bags between properties.