Dear Editor:

I am responding to the Jeers comment of July 15th about BAH HUMBURGERS who complain about … dogs swimming in lake. Why should dogs be restricted from swimming in public beach areas? Here are five reasons:

Dog waste contains 23 million fecal coliform bacteria per gram, 10 times more per pound of body weight than even cows produce.

Pets are responsible for up to one-third of bacterial pollution in waterways near developed areas.

Ten to 50 percent of bacteria in air samples comes from feces with dog poop being a particularly dominant source.

Pet waste takes a year or more to break down. Even after that, the parasites can survive in the soil for years.

Infected pet poop can carry the eggs of roundworms and other parasites (like cryptosporidium, giardia and salmonella), which can linger in soil for years. Anyone gardening, playing sports, walking barefoot, or digging in the infected dirt risks coming into contact with those eggs. Children are most susceptible since they often play in the dirt and put things in their mouths.

Wes James

Windermere