12 Reasons You Should Never Leave Dog Poop In Your Yard

Whilst scooping poop may not be the most glamorous aspect of owning a dog, it is one of the most essential. Most healthy dogs defecate about 1–2 times per day. As their owner, it is your responsibility to collect it and dispose of it appropriately. It is estimated that the 85–90 million pet dogs living in the US produce 5-11 million tons of poop each year. Some owners are fastidious about picking up their dog’s poop from the sidewalk or parks but are not so conscientious when it comes to their yard. Surveys have shown that around 40 percent of dog owners don’t pick up their pet’s poop. They use a range of excuses, from “it’s too much work” to “it’s not bothering anyone” else.”. Time to think again! Here are 12 important reasons for not leaving your dog’s poop in your yard.

This post was updated on September 20, 2025 to clarify the average number of dog poops per day, bacteria and protozoa found in dog poop, decomposition variables, why poop destroys grass, runoff vs. leaching, and symptoms of parasites.

1. Dog Poop Does Not Break Down

One of the main arguments for not collecting dog poop is that it is a natural product and will therefore break down by itself. Whilst this is true to some extent, how quickly dog waste can break down depends on climate conditions. It can take up to a year to fully break down in cold, shaded areas. During that time, it presents a variety of hazards and doesn’t look too great either. While other animal poop, such as horse manure, can be used as compost in your garden, dog poop tends to have the opposite effect. Pup poop sitting on one section of grass for any significant period of time will block sunlight and destroy your grass. It is also very messy (and smelly) if it gets caught up in a lawn mower!

2. It Pollutes the Environment

Your yard or garden does not exist in isolation. It is connected to all of the environment and delicate habitats surrounding your home. When it rains, anything in your yard gets washed away and enters the surrounding environment including watercourses such as streams and rivers. This runoff causes a problem because dog poop is full of nitrogen and phosphorus. Both of these can trigger excessive plant and weed growth which robs the water of oxygen and kills aquatic life. It can also make recreational water unsuitable for humans to use.

3. Someone May Tread in It

You might be careful about where you tread in your yard, and you may know where your pooch likes to go potty most often. That does not necessarily apply to your visitors especially if they are children or other dogs. No one wants to see dog poop being dragged into their home on the bottoms of shoes or, even worse, on bare feet! If you have ever tried to remove dog poop from the bottom of sneakers or a hallway carpet, then you will understand this.

4. Dog Poop Contains Harmful Bacteria and Viruses

The bacteria and protozoa (and some viruses such as parvovirus) that can be present in dog poop are an immediate threat to anybody using your yard and to the wider population if it is washed into water sources. There is a long list of pathogens that can be found in dog poop, including salmonella, E. coli, and Giardia. These are zoonotic infections, which means that they can be passed from animals to humans. Recent studies have found that some of these organisms are antibiotic-resistant including a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It has been suggested that dog poop may have the potential to contribute to the spread of resistance genes in bacteria. Discarded poop presents a risk to any other dogs that come into your yard, as well as wildlife and birds. The pathogens can runoff into water in the same way as nitrogen and phosphorus and present a risk to human health.

5. Dog Feces Smells Bad

Dog poop has a distinctive and unpleasant odor. This is caused by sulfur produced by bacteria in the dog’s intestine. Dogs on a high protein diet in particular can have very smelly poop. This is because the food is harder for their digestive system to break down and more sulfur is produced as part of the process. In some ways, it’s a good thing that dog poop smells because it helps us to know where it is! However, it can make your yard or garden an unpleasant place and your neighbors may also complain.

6. Not Picking Up Poop May Be Illegal

Many areas have bylaws that require you to clean up after your dog in public areas. Some neighborhood homeowner associations and neighborhood covenants also require you to pick up poop in your yard. In rented accommodation, this may be in your tenancy agreement. If you live in apartments with a shared garden, it is courteous to your fellow residents to clean up after your dog. No one wants to use a garden covered in dog poop.

7. It Can Encourage Vermin

Vermin in urban areas are not fussy about what they eat. Dog poop is high in fat, protein, and carbohydrates and that makes it an attractive food source for rats. They have an excellent sense of smell and will be able to locate the poop from some distance away. By leaving the poop in your yard, you are attracting rats to your home. Not only do these vermin carry disease, but they can also cause structural issues on your property by gnawing doors, windows, and even electric cables. The most effective way to deter vermin is to remove all available food sources.

8. Your Dog May Eat It

Rats are not the only animals that like to eat dog poop – dogs like to do it as well! As disgusting as this may sound to us, it is a recognized canine behavior called coprophagia. Around one and six dogs are regular poop eaters and a quarter of dogs have tried it at least once. Both adults and puppies show this behavior but it is more common in multi-dog households and females. It is not a behavior that you should tolerate because it can lead to your dog eating feces produced by other dogs. This puts them at risk of contracting diseases. One of the main prevention strategies for coprophagia is removing poop as soon as they have deposited it. A lot of poop hanging around only encourages them!

9. Dog Poop Encourages Flies

Dog poop is an attractive food source for many flying insects including many species of flies. These insects invading your yard increases the chance they can also make their way into your home through open windows etc. Flies will lay their eggs in dog poop. These develop into larvae and eventually into a fresh generation of flies – right next to your house. The last thing you want is them landing on food in your kitchen!

10. Dog Poop Can Contain Parasites

Dogs can carry several gastrointestinal parasites. A large roundworm species, Toxocara canis, can migrate to humans. Another species, Toxascaris leonina, is more typically seen in older dogs. We can become infected if we ingest soil, sand, or plants that have been contaminated with dog poop.

The hookworm species (Uncinaria stenocephala) is found in the northern fringe of the United States, and less commonly elsewhere in the country. Another hookworm, Ancylostoma braziliense, is found occasionally from Florida to North Carolina and along the Gulf Coast of the United States. Human infection is typically cutaneous larva migrans from skin contact with contaminated soil. This usually happens when people walk on contaminated ground with bare feet.

Dogs can also have whipworms (Trichuris vulpis) in their small intestine. They attach themselves firmly to the intestinal wall. The eggs pass out with the feces and infect other dogs. There are rare reports of human infections.

11. Your Dog May Roll In It

There’s no denying that most dogs are attracted to stinky things. This may be because they are trying to cover up the fragrance of the shampoo you have just used (dogs don’t share human opinions of fragrances) or because they simply love stinky smells. Some experts have suggested that they used it as a camouflage for hunting to fool prey. Others think that it was the method wild dogs used to carry messages about what they had found back to the pack. It may also be a method of territory marking or simply a way to get your attention. Regardless of the reason behind the behavior, you are hardly likely to ignore your pooch doing this just before they run inside and leap on your sofa.

One of the most effective ways to control this behavior is to reduce opportunities. You can achieve this by making sure that there is no poop in your yard!

12. It’s an Opportunity for a Health Check

You’d be surprised by how much you can tell about your dog’s health by looking at their poop. So, instead of just ignoring it, go and pick it up and have a quick look whilst you are doing it.

The color is important. Dog poop should be chocolate brown and any other color can indicate a problem. For example, red streaks could be blood, and black tar-like poops can indicate upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding. Also check the shape which should look like a small log, small, rounded poops can indicate dehydration. If your dog has diarrhea or watery poops it can also indicate that they have an infection. Finally, if there is mucus in the stool it can indicate an inflammation of the colon.

By removing the dog waste regularly, you will also be able to tell when your dog last pooped. If your dog does not poop for several days, it can be a sign of constipation or an intestinal blockage.