Philly Water’s Best Four-Legged Friend
In a competition for Philly Water’s Best Friend, there could only be one, and on Sunday, December 13th, thirteen dogs contested for the title. The highest purpose of the contest was to raise awareness of “poo-loution” and spread the word about cleaning up after pups.
The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) teamed up to look for a canine from Fishtown (or Washington Square West) to be the spokesdog for their annual campaign to educate humans about keeping dog poop off the sidewalks and out of drinking water.
According to Philly Watersheds,
“As always, the goal is to raise awareness about keeping dog waste out of our waterways by getting it off sidewalks, streets and grass right away with proper disposal techniques. We all know it’s pretty gross (and rude!) when pet owners don’t clean up after their furry friends, but many people don’t think about the health consequences, especially as they relate to water.”
The competition got going weeks ago when 50-100 dogs (or their owners, rather) signed up and rallied votes to be selected to move onto the final event (180 W. Girard Ave.) This year’s contenders met at Zoom Room, joined by families, friends and spectators. Judges included representatives from Philadelphia Water, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and Zoom Room. The skills and obedience of the dogs were tested, while the owner’s knowledge of “poo-loution” was verified.
The competition exemplified a creative way to entice people to care about the environment and our water.
“The main message is to let people know it is important to pick up after dogs so that they are welcomed,” says Lisa Wool, Program Director from Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Picking up pet waste is a small thing that dog-owners can do to contribute to the bigger picture and a cleaner place to live.
Director Jean Atkins said, “It is exciting to see beautiful dogs and owners who care.” The winner is set to be the spokesdog for this movement.
Two dogs, Fasha and Harley, tied for second place and a spunky little pup named Shorty took first. Over the next year, Shorty will attend a few events and do his part to spread the word about “poo-loution” as Philly Water’s Best Friend.