Responsible pet owners pick up after their animals on the beach - remember to immediately remove your pet’s waste deposit from the beach.

Why do I need to pick up my dogs waste...won't the tide wash it away?
The tide will wash it away...and that's the problem. Recently, dog waste on the beach has received a lot of attention. Not only is it unpleasant for beachgoers, but it also poses a very real health threat to swimmers and other dogs. Fecal coliform bacteria in seawater, tied to dog waste on the beach, can make people and animals very ill. In some cases, these bacteria can reach levels that require the local Health Department to issue a swimmers' health advisory. To ensure that your dog is not contributing to this problem, always clean up your dog's waste and deposit it in an appropriate trash receptacle.

Community Friendly Pet Waste Bag Dispensers
Learn how you can help stock community pet waste bag dispensers with your recycled plastic grocery bags.

The Glynn County 4-H Sea Monkey's have not rested on their laurels of late. During their internationally and nationally awarding winning "Orange Tide Study" last year, the Sea Monkeys took note of the large amount of dog waste left on the beaches of St. Simons. In one two-hour effort, the group picked up over 8 pounds of dog waste on the beach between the old Coast Guard Station entrance and Gould's Inlet. This spurred the Sea Monkeys into action. They saw a need in the addition of pet waste bag dispensers on the beaches and decided to create their own model. They worked on several different designs of possible "poop bag dispensers" and finally settled on one.

Sea Monkey Will Prince and his father came up with the final design. They utilized previously-used plastic water cooler jugs and with the addition of strategically cut holes and PVC pipe, constructed community friendly dispensers. The jugs were turned upside down and painted white and a slot made near the "top" for the insertion of plastic grocery bags. At the new "bottom" of the unit three holes were made for the public to access the grocery bags. The Sea Monkey 4-H members then solicited donations of needed materials, and constructed 25 units. The units are designed to be "self supporting" with community members helping to fill the units using their recycled grocery bags. The bags are handy for dog waste removal, picking up litter or collecting sea shells.

Glynn County staff has installed several of the units at St. Simons Island beach access sites including Massengale Park and the old Coast Guard Station entrance. The club received guidance and support from the Brunswick - Golden Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau, Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful and DNR Coastal Resources Division. For more information on the dispensers and/or the project, contact Glynn County 4-H leader Robi Gray at 554-7575. Community members are encouraged to help keep the dispensers stocked by depositing previously-used plastic grocery bags in the units.


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