Dog Poop and Kids: Keeping Your Backyard Play Area Safe

The Backyard Is Shared Space

If you have kids and a dog, your backyard is doing double duty — playground and potty. That works fine, as long as waste does not linger. Here is what every South Jersey parent should know.

Why It Matters More for Kids

Dog waste can carry roundworm eggs, giardia and bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. Adults rarely touch the ground and then their mouths. Kids do it constantly — crawling, digging, falling in the grass, grabbing toys off the lawn.

Roundworm eggs are the biggest concern. They can survive in soil for months after the visible waste is gone, and young children are the most likely to be exposed.

Practical Steps That Actually Work

1. Scoop before play, not after. Make waste pickup part of the routine before kids go out, especially after a few busy days.
2. Watch the hidden spots. Dogs often go along fence lines, behind bushes and under playsets — exactly where kids explore.
3. Rinse and refresh high-traffic areas. A deodorizing treatment helps with smell and surface bacteria on patios and play zones.
4. Wash hands coming inside. Simple, but it is the last line of defense.
5. Do not rely on rain. Rain breaks waste apart and spreads it into the soil — it does not remove it.

When Life Gets Busy

The weeks where scooping slips are exactly the weeks kids are outside most. A weekly service keeps the yard consistently clean without you thinking about it.

PooGO serves families across Atlantic County — Egg Harbor Township, Galloway, Hamilton Township, Northfield and more. Weekly plans start affordably, and your first cleaning is free when you start a weekly recurring plan with code FREE1ST.

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