The Biggest Irresponsibility You Can Commit as a Pet Owner: We Show the Consequences in

In recent days, dog poo bags discarded around the area of Hűvösvölgy have become increasingly common. Owners are apparently picking up the faeces, however, they are not taking the bags with them, instead throwing them around the forest.

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In itself, the fact that we prepare for our pet’s sanitary walk and take with us the necessary tool to clean up the end product is certainly commendable, one of the fundamental pillars of the spread of responsible pet ownership. Dog faeces, after all, contain numerous dangers for our environment.

It Is Not Enough to Pick Up the Dog Poo, You Must Take It with You Too!

Although it is a nice gesture to remove the characteristically smelly packages from forest paths, if we do so by leaving them in their bags at the base of trees, we may be doing more harm than good to nature. Not all poo bags are made from biodegradable material, even if some are compostable. They need time to dissolve in nature, and meanwhile

forest animals may even consume them together with their contents.

Optimális körülmények között néhány hónap, de akár több év is lehet, mire felszívódnak, a kutyaürülék pedig mindeközben számos vadfajt csábít aromájával. Az már évek óta ismert, hogy a vörös rókák előszeretettel fogyasztják, de akár a vaddisznók is megehetik, ha nagyobb mennyiségben tartalmaz emésztetlen táplálékot. Egy skót kutatás szerint az ottani rókák elsődleges tápláléka ebeink ürüléke.

Dog poo bag in Hűvösvölgy in April 2026 / Photo: Tamás Pál Lipták

Abandoned Dog Faeces Can Spread Diseases

Although we assume that our pets are already free of parasites, since the regular repetition of deworming is also a characteristic of responsible pet owners, faeces can spread parasites, worms, bacteria, and viruses as well. Wild animals are susceptible to these and, in many cases, defenceless against them.

Two particularly serious diseases that are fatal for dogs can also spread through dog waste: parvovirus and giardiasis. For humans, tapeworm poses many dangers, which can also be contracted if we are not careful.

Nor should we think that it benefits the soil! Since our dogs consume more protein, their faeces are highly acidic and also contain higher proportions of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can likewise be harmful to the balance of the outdoor ecosystem, as it encourages weed growth and algal blooms in waters. Furthermore, rainfall washes dog waste into groundwater together with the medicines and antiparasitic treatments we administer to our pets. The Pet Impact website draws attention to the fact that these active substances are sometimes excreted in active form, and “these drugs can be extremely toxic to aquatic life and nontarget insects, sometimes persisting in the environment for up to 1000 days, leading to wider impacts on our ecosystems”.

Long story short, although it is unpleasant to carry the poo bag around with you, it is your duty to do so!

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