WEBSITE NAME

Menu
stay in touch
  • About PDE
    • Board of Directors
    • Calendar of Events
    • Committees
    • Our Mission and Vision
    • Our Plans
    • PDE Staff
  • About the Estuary
    • The Delaware Estuary Program
    • Freshwater Mussels
    • Glossary of Terms
    • Interactive Estuary Map
    • Living Shorelines
    • Oysters
    • Understand Climate Change
    • Urban Waters
    • Wetlands
  • Save the Estuary
    • Contact Your Representative
    • Dispose of Chemicals
    • Manage Dog Waste
    • Managing Stormwater Runoff
    • Mark a Storm Drain
    • Plant a Rain Garden
    • Shell Recycling Program
    • Sponsor an Event
    • Support Our Partners
    • Take an Ecotour
    • Understand Climate Change
    • Ways Businesses Can Help
  • Science and Research
    • Data and Reports
    • Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit
    • Freshwater Mussels
    • Living Shorelines
    • Oysters
    • Science and Technical Advisory Committee
    • State of the Estuary Report
    • Standard Methods Bank Homepage
    • Tools
    • Understand Climate Change
    • Other Strategic Initiatives
    • Wetlands
  • News and Events
    • Newsroom
    • Calendar of Events
    • Christina River Watershed Cleanup
    • City of Wilmington Earth Day Celebration
    • Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit
    • Delaware River Festival
    • Experience the Estuary Celebration
    • Freshwater Mussel Hatchery & Ecosystems Education Center
    • Schuylkill Scrub
  • Publications
    • Annual Report
    • Booklets and Brochures
    • Estuary News
    • Fact Sheets
    • Our Plan -CCMP
    • Perennial Pages
    • State of the Estuary Report
  • Kids and Teachers
    • Fun for Kids
    • Fun for Teachers
  • Shop
  • Stay in Touch
  • Strategic Plan
  • Get Involved
    • Delaware Estuary Explorers Program
    • Shell Recycling Program

Manage Dog Waste

What to do with dog doo.

Kaitlin Tucker

What’s Your Doggy Doo Doing?

When pet waste is left on the ground, rain and snowmelt can wash it into storm drains or directly into waterways. This “stormwater runoff” can contaminate our sources of drinking water. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey estimate that animal waste is to blame for 20 to 30 percent of water pollution in America. Animal waste breeds harmful bacteria, promotes excessive plant growth, and causes algae blooms, which can kill fish and other animals.

Check out these other facts:

                                  

Designed by Frank McShane

What we are doo-ing

 

Philadelphia Water Department Best Friend – Partner Program

Together with the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), we’re partnering with shelters, animal clinics, and dog rescues around the City of Philadelphia to provide dog owners with free dog waste bags! Each partner will also have educational materials to share with both new and existing pet owners.

 

 

Below is a list of our 2022 Philadelphia Water Department Best Friend partners:

Emancipet

Morris Animal Refuge

Pennsylvania SPCA

The Humane Society of the United States, Pets for Life

Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

Street Tails Animal Rescue

 

Spokesdog Competition

brown dog wearing blue cape outside

Dolphina, the 2019 Spokesdog

In 2019, PDE and the Philadelphia Water Department revamped the annual Spokesdog Competition in an effort to raise awareness about the impact dog waste can have on the environment. The competition returned with a social media campaign and special focus on shelter animals. Four local pups from Morris Animal Refuge were featured as contestants, and all found a new home by the end of the competition. Dolphina, a five-year-old Pitbull mix won the 2019 competition and went on to serve the city well for her reign as the PWD Spokesdog.

grey dog with a blue cape outside

Lucy, the 2021 Spokesdog

In 2021, the competition expanded to include dogs from Morris Animal Refuge, Pennsylvania SPCA, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and Philly ACCT. Lucy, a true underdog herself and a late addition to the competition from ACCT Philly, ended up pulling out the win for 2021. As current Spokesdog, Lucy has been hard at work educating Philadelphians about proper pet waste disposal, but she is ready to pass along the blue cape to another lucky pup.

This year’s Spokesdog Competition will again feature dogs from four shelters: Morris Animal Refuge, Pennsylvania SPCA, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and Street Tails Animal Rescue. The dogs will be announced on May 1st, the beginning of National Scoop the Poop Week. Check out @DelawareEstuary on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, during the month of May to meet the contestants, vote, and learn more about the connection between dog waste and clean water. Be sure to vote for your favorite pup to be the next Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog and always remember to Scoop the Poop!

 

 

Unsure about the connection between scooping poop and clean water? Visit phillyh2o.info/dog-waste

Check out our previous pageants and winners on our flickr page.

Contact us if you’d like to launch a similar campaign.

be a champion for the delaware estuary!
  • Donate

  • Manage Stormwater Runoff

  • Sponsor an Event

  • Volunteer

  • Manage Dog Waste

  • Ways Businesses Can Help

  • Understand Climate Change

  • Plant a Rain Garden

  • Support Other Partnerships

  • Take an Ecotour

  • Mark a Storm Drain

  • Contact Your Representative

  • Dispose of Chemicals

  • Buy, Cook and Recycle Oysters

learn

volunteer

donate

Connecting people, science, and nature for a healthy Delaware River and Bay

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
110 South Poplar Street, Suite 202
Wilmington, DE 19801
302-655-4990
1-800-445-4935

  • Facebook Icon
  • Flickr Icon
  • Instagram Icon
  • LinkedIn Icon
  • Twitter Icon
  • YouTube Icon
  • contact us
  • careers
  • sitemap

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Copyright 2017 Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. All Rights Reserved.
Site design by Skidmutro Creative Partners.