During this week's lab we visited Macon's Dog Park. We had two canine visitors that were running around and enjoying the benefits of the Macon Dog Park. We took some samples of the water and performed a Fecal Coliform Bacteria Test. Fecal Coliform Bacteria are found in the feces of warm-blooded animals and humans. These bacteria can enter rivers directly from agriculture and storm runoff carrying animal waste as well as human sewage discharged in water. Our water samples produced a colony of bacteria which was not pathogenic. Pathogenic organisms are dangerous parasites, viruses, and bacteria that cause illnesses and diseases. A person that swims in a body of water that contains more than 200 colonies of fecal coliform bacteria per 100 ml of water has an increased risk of getting sick from swallowing or inhaling these pathogenic organisms.
Dog parks can provide wonderful opportunities for dogs to learn appropriate dog-to-dog behavior and allow their owners to socialize and meet new friends. The dogs will also be allowed to exercise in a safe, supervised area. In other circumstances when owners do not know how to control their dogs or read their body language at the dog parks, negative aspects like dog fights break out that may cause serious harm among them. Unfortunately, dog parks do not check for vaccinations, therefore, dogs could be carrying parasites and pass them along.
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