2023 Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog Contest

Philly…your dog could be the next Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog! Picking up after your dog is important for clean waterways since dog poop is a significant water pollutant. We want to see how you scoop the poop and dispose of your dog’s waste to help keep Philly’s waterways clean.

Snap a photo or share a video of your dog and how you properly dispose of your pet’s waste (Be creative, but bagged poop only, please!) and post to social media. Your post must include the hashtag #SpokesdogPHL2023, tag @DelawareEstuary and @PhillyH2O, and be posted to either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter between May 1, 2023 and May 31, 2023 to enter. You can submit up to one video or 2 photos, showing your dog and how you pick up and dispose of your dog’s waste.

Winners will be selected after the May 31st deadline by a group from the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. One grand prize winner will be selected as the Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog for 2023. If available, the winner will be asked to participate in a one-time photo shoot at their convenience. Four additional submissions will be selected to receive a dog prize pack, complete with dog poop bags, PWD clip-on dog poop bag dispenser and an assortment of other dog items.

Contest Rules and Eligibility: 

Must be a City of Philadelphia resident to enter. Posts must be on either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and must include the hashtag #SpokesdogPHL2023 in order to qualify. This public engagement campaign will start on May 1, 2023 and end on May 31, 2023; upon its completion, winners will be notified and prizes can then be picked up at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. In order to receive prizes, participants must be willing to share their name, address and email address with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE). Information will be used to add winners to the PDE email marketing mailing list, which can be unsubscribed from at any time. Mailing address must be within the City of Philadelphia in order to receive a prize. PDE reserves the right to share photos and posts that utilize the #SpokesdogPHL2023 hashtag (with credit to the original authors) on PDE’s website and social media in order to promote the Spokesdog and proper disposal of dog waste.

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 2023 Philadelphia Water Department Best Friend partners:

Center City Veterinary Hospital

Emancipet

The Humane Society of the United States, Pets for Life

Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

Street Tails Animal Rescue

Wissahickon Creek Veterinary Hospital

 

Previous Spokesdog Competitions

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.

The 2022 Spokesdog Competition again featured dogs from four shelters: Morris Animal Refuge, Pennsylvania SPCA, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and Street Tails Animal Rescue. The dogs were announced on May 1^st, the beginning of National Scoop the Poop Week. Halo, from Morris Animal Refuge, took the cape in 2022 and has been hard at work educating Philadelphians about proper pet waste disposal.

Check out our social media, @DelawareEstuary on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to learn more about the connection between dog waste and clean water. And stay tuned for more details on the 2023 Spokesdog Competition and how your pup may get the chance to be the next Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog!

 

 

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.