{"id":105,"date":"2019-06-10T16:50:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T20:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T12:49:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T17:49:20","slug":"2019-spokesdog-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"And PWD&rsquo;s 2019 Spokesdog Is&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Philly waterways have a new best friend.<\/h4>\n<p class=\"big\"><strong>Dolphina<\/strong>, a five-year-old pit rescue, will be the face of our efforts to guard local waterways against pet waste pollution\u00a0and spread the word about easy ways to scoop the poop<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed center\" style=\"margin-top: 1em;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"630\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDelawareEstuary%2Fposts%2F2284151638330685&#038;width=500\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Dolphina was selected as 2019&#39;s Spokesdog following a spring <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Spokesdog2019?src=hash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media campaign<\/a> that racked up thousands of likes and shares on <strong>@PhillyH2O<\/strong> pages and those of our partners, the <a class=\"semibold\" href=\"http:\/\/www.delawareestuary.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Partnership for the Delaware Estuary<\/a> and the <a class=\"semibold\" href=\"https:\/\/www.morrisanimalrefuge.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Morris Animal Refuge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She faced <em>ruff<\/em> competition from three other dogs at the shelter, and all were winners: <strong>each now has a new human family!<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;We&#39;re very happy to have Dolphina and her new family join us in spreading the word about how picking up pet waste is an easy way for residents to protect our rivers and creeks,\u201d says <strong>Joanne Dahme, a dog lover and PWD Deputy Commissioner of Public Affairs<\/strong>. \u201cIt might seem like a little thing, but our city really loves dogs, and that means <strong>tens of millions of pounds<\/strong> of waste generated annually. When that waste is left on streets and in our parks and yards, it can lead to pathogens and excess nutrients washing into our waterways.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In addition to containing <strong>germs that make people sick<\/strong>, like e. coli and giardia, pet waste has fertilizing nutrients which can fuel <strong>algae blooms<\/strong>, sucking up <strong>dissolved oxygen fish and other wildlife need to survive<\/strong>. And because many storm drains found on Philly streets lead directly to rivers and creeks, dog poop left on streets or tossed into drains\u2014<strong>a major no-no!<\/strong>\u2014can flow <strong>straight into waterways<\/strong> without any treatment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Water Woman<\/strong>, Philly\u2019s resident clean water superhero, will help celebrate her new sidekick during a <a href=\"https:\/\/phillyh2o.info\/2019spokesdog-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 22 celebration<\/a> that marks the return of Spokesdog after a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyH2O\/status\/676875251406516228\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">four-year break<\/a>. As Dolphina and her family are now busy adjusting to her new home, the staff from Morris will bring one of her best dog-friends to attend on her behalf.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout accentblue-bg\">\n<h3 class=\"black center\">Join Us for a Pet-Friendly Spokesdog Celebration<\/h3>\n<p class=\"darkgray\">Local dog owners and residents are invited to the <a class=\"semibold black\" href=\"https:\/\/phillyh2o.info\/2019spokesdog-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philly Spokesdog Winner Celebration<\/a>, which will feature activities, nature walks, and information about how to make scooping the poop easier in our neighborhoods.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"big h4\">What:<\/span> <a class=\"semibold black\" href=\"https:\/\/phillyh2o.info\/2019spokesdog-party\">Spokesdog Winner Celebration<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"big h4\">Where:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CobbsEnvCenter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center,<\/a> <span class=\"inline-block\">700 Cobbs Creek Parkway,<\/span> <span class=\"inline-block\">Philadelphia, PA 19143<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"big h4\">When:<\/span> Saturday, <strong>June 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.<\/strong> \u2013 Water Woman remarks take place at 12 p.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Get more event updates: text <strong class=\"black\">Events<\/strong> to <span class=\"black\">1-877-454-2862<\/span>!<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Pet Waste = Pollution<\/h2>\n<p>While the Spokesdog competition is a fun way to get the word out, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/nutrientpollution\/what-you-can-do-your-home#pet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the topic is a serious one<\/a>\u00a0and seeks to combat a common mistake: <strong>people often think of dog waste as a natural thing that breaks down and helps plant life.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In reality,<strong> your dog&#39;s waste is a lot like human waste<\/strong> and<strong><em> not <\/em><\/strong>something you want lying around in your neighborhood or local park or ending up in rivers and creeks. And, with roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.avma.org\/KB\/Resources\/Statistics\/Pages\/US-pet-ownership-calculator.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>one dog for every four people<\/strong><\/a> in Philadelphia, their\u00a0waste can pile up quickly and\u00a0pose a real threat when it washes into waterways, making them\u00a0less safe for recreation and wildlife.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout orange-bg\">\n<h4 class=\"white\">Pet Waste Dos and Don&#39;ts<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"semibold black\">Pet waste should always be collected and discarded along with household trash.<\/li>\n<li class=\"semibold black\">Pet waste should never be left on streets, on the ground, or thrown directly into storm drains.<\/li>\n<li class=\"semibold black\">In addition to health and environmental impacts, failing to pick up pet waste can lead to fines in Philadelphia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that keeping dog waste out of storm drains is an effective way of improving urban runoff water quality. In one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/sites\/production\/files\/2015-09\/documents\/czara_chapter4_urban.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">commonly cited study<\/a>, just 2-3 days of droppings from 100 dogs can contribute enough bacteria, nitrogen, and phosphorus to temporarily close a bay to swimming and shellfishing.<\/p>\n<p>While Philly&#39;s rivers are off-limits to swimming without special permits for events like triathlons, <strong>our rivers are shared resources<\/strong> and what we do impacts downstream neighbors in the Delaware Bay and even the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n<h5><a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-primary white bold\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phila.gov\/departments\/philadelphia-parks-recreation\/about\/dog-regulations-and-best-practices\/\" style=\"white-space: inherit;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See the City&#39;s Dog Regulations + Tips from <span class=\"inline-block\">Parks and Rec!<\/span><\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>MORE: Check out our <em>poo-llution<\/em> prevention tips in this slideshow:<\/h5>\n<div class=\"embed center\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/philadelphiawater\/albums\/72157691547307843\" title=\"2019 Spokesdog Tips From Phila. Water and Delaware Estuary\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2019 Spokesdog Tips From Phila. Water and Delaware Estuary\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/46983777775_6322416378_c.jpg\" width=\"800\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Philly waterways have a new best friend.\u00a0Dolphina, a five-year-old pit rescue, will be the face of our efforts to guard local waterways against pet waste. Pet owners and watershed advocates are invited to a June 22 celebration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"custom_css":"","custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[18,30,35,39,53,88,97],"class_list":["post-105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","tag-cobbs-creek","tag-dog-waste","tag-event","tag-free","tag-kid-friendly","tag-sourcewater-watershed-protection","tag-summer","wpautop"],"acf":{"suggested":null},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/phila.gov\/blog\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"And PWD&rsquo;s 2019 Spokesdog Is&#8230;","url":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Events","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Hopf"}],"creator":["Amy Hopf"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"@PhillyH2O Blog","logo":""},"keywords":["cobbs creek","dog waste","event","free","kid friendly","sourcewater\/watershed protection","summer"],"dateCreated":"2019-06-10T20:50:00Z","datePublished":"2019-06-10T20:50:00Z","dateModified":"2025-02-24T17:49:20Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"And PWD&rsquo;s 2019 Spokesdog Is&#8230;\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/water.phila.gov\\\/blog\\\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/water.phila.gov\\\/blog\\\/2019-spokesdog-celebration\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"\"},\"articleSection\":\"Events\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Amy Hopf\"}],\"creator\":[\"Amy Hopf\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"@PhillyH2O Blog\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"cobbs creek\",\"dog waste\",\"event\",\"free\",\"kid friendly\",\"sourcewater\\\/watershed protection\",\"summer\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2019-06-10T20:50:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-10T20:50:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-24T17:49:20Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/phila.gov\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2856,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions\/2856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}