INTERNATIONAL POOPER SCOOPER WEEK

INTERNATIONAL POOPER SCOOPER WEEK

What goes in must come out. That’s why the first week in April is International Pooper Scooper Week recognizing a year-round problem and offering solutions to it. The week of April 1-7 every year is to educate pet owners on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs.

The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPaws) estimates that pet pooches produce over 4.4 billion pounds of waste per year. That amount could cover 900 football fields with 12 inches of dog waste! Each year, the annual convention of pooper scoopers includes a race called “a turd-herding contest.”

And for much of the country, spring reveals the droppings our canine friends have left behind. While many dog owners clean up after every time their pooch does its business, sometimes deep snow or extreme temperatures prevent this kind of dedication. So, they spend an hour or so raking up the winter's evidence and prepping their yard for spring. Or, they hire a professional to do it for them. Pet waste removal is a booming business. Consider that more than 48 million households have a dog, that's a lot of business going on.

HOW TO OBSERVE #PooperScooperWeek

• Do your doody and pick up after your dog.

• Or hire someone to do it for you.

• Follow on social media using #PooperScooperWeek and fetch your best turd collection tips, tricks, and solutions.

• Visit the website for professional Pooper Scoopers.

INTERNATIONAL POOPER SCOOPER WEEK HISTORY

In 2008, a member of the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPaws) suggested International Pooper Scooper Week, and the committee voted to approve. The organization was founded in February 2002 by a group of pooper scoopers who believe everyone should be able to go barefoot without a messy squish between their toes.