The PupPak, a Lake Patricia neighborhood dog walking group, has been evolving for the past couple of years. Gradually, as new dog owning residents move in, or existing residents become new dog owners, this dynamic “pak” continues to grow.
Currently the basic pack consists of five families with others joining on a sporadic basis to form an extended pack of up to 10 families. The dogs cover a broad range of ages and breeds, including a Chihuahua, Jack Russel, Lab, Shepherd, Vizsla, Labradoodle and spunky mutts.
But regardless of their breeds, when they walk together they are all just part of the same canine family. Not to mention the owners, which although they come from all different walks of life, varied backgrounds and ages, the common thread of being dog owning residents in the Town of Miami Lakes makes dogs and owners alike, a family. And like all families, some ground rules are followed.
The first rule is socialization.
“All the dogs in the “pak” are friendly to each other since the relationship has been formed, but still all dog owners must be wary of the introductions when new dogs join,” said PupPak member, Yolanda Foster. “As the PupPak, we always take precautions when new dogs are introduced. New dogs are always invited to join, but if a new dog is not fully socialized, the pack can react negatively. The new dog knows their place in the group relatively quickly, and the existing dogs usually welcome the new member within a couple walks.”
The second rule of PupPak is leash usage. Pets are better controlled when wearing a leash.
The third and more important rule of PupPak is the unmentionables…that is, curbing your dog.
“As you can imagine, there is plenty to pick up while the pack takes its walks. It is incumbent upon every dog owner to make sure they clean up after their dog. The public areas in our town belong to all of us, including non-pet owners and children who use these areas and deserve to have them clean,” said Foster.
Pet waste has been labeled a non-point source pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), placing it in the same category as herbicides, insecticides, oil, grease, toxic chemicals and acid drainage from abandoned mines.
“Some may think that doggy manure is a good fertilizer, but it’s actually toxic to your lawn, causing burns and unsightly discoloring.” said Foster.
Beyond keeping the lawn looking good is the illness that can crop up. Pet waste contains millions of fecal coliform bacteria, which are known to cause cramps, diarrhea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in humans and has negative effects on drinking water. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), parasites can linger in the soil where infected waste is deposited and is transferable to humans that come in contact with it, whether that’s gardening, playing sports or walking barefoot.
“We are very fortunate that the Town of Miami Lakes provides us with a way of remedying this situation in our community by way of Dog Potty stations at most parks, but we must all participate in keeping our areas clean,” said Foster. “Every dog owner is responsible for making sure their pet doesn’t create a harmful environment in the areas where we live and play.”