Round-up Weed Killer Toxic to Your Dog, Even if YOU Don't use it

Round Up Toxic to my Dog Friends, BEWARE

You may not use it, but Round-up, the Monsanto herbicide is toxic to dogs and you may be exposing them to this deadly risk on your daily dog walk!  Other herbicide concoctions are also, of course!

I was horrified to discover today that on my most regular walk, I was exposing my dog, Sarge, to Round-up, and had with my previous dog, the late great Otto who died of cancer.

Nearly every day, he walked through Round-up, and I had no idea.  Til today.

When we were out today, a worker spraying Roundup on the edges of a chain link fence surrounding an industrial park near me, warned me to keep my dog off that grass, that it was "poison to dogs" and to wash his feet when I got home.  

Since I keep a yard friendly to every creature and weed, lol, it never, ever occurred to me that the edges of public grassy areas were not weed whacked, but poisoned.  One of our favorite routes is to walk the perimeter of a local school athletic field.  Sarge is such a sociable dog, and he loves to interact with everyone there.  Today, I noticed the tell-tale sign that Round-up was used to manicure the edges of that field, total bald strips where grass would normally creep.

There's so much info on this on the internet, I invite you to google it.  This page shows that dogs' urine can show they have these deadly herbicides in their system even when their owners do not use it, and daily walks over contaminated areas can be the cause: http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/how-lawn-chemicals-and-herbicides-affect-dogs Particularly interesting is the study of bladder cancer in little terriers. :(

I am just marginally aware of Monsanto, I know there are activists working against Hillary Clinton because of her Monsanto connections, and know they are political heavy hitters.  So fighting the use of herbicides in areas that expose the general public to their toxic brew may be a futile effort.

But I can protect Sarge and you can protect your dogs more by avoiding those spaces, walking them only in residential areas, keep them on sidewalks or crossing the street when you encounter a grassy area with the tell-tale sign of a bald strip at the edges, and washing their feet when you get home.  

I wonder how long my beloved Otto would have lived if I had done those things?