The 78 million American pooches collectively dump nearly 10 million tons of faeces a year, which is sufficient to fill a line of fully-loaded tractor trailers stretching from Seattle to Boston, according to a pet waste pick-up service.

DoodyCalls, a Virginia-based pet waste pick-up service, said that the waste of the dogs contains nutrients, bacteria and parasites that can contaminate water bodies and make people sick.

Left on the ground, droppings from about 100 canines over the course of two or three days can produce enough bacteria to close bays and other bodies of water in a 20-mile radius.

"If you think picking up what your dog leaves behind is disgusting, try drinking it," the New York Daily News quoted Jacob D'Aniello, DoodyCalls co-founder and CEO, as saying.

"The longer dog waste stays on the ground, the more it washes into the water and the environment."

"People should pick up after their dog or hire someone to do it for them," he added.

D'Aniello, who founded DoodyCalls with his wife about 12 years ago, insisted that the people who know it's wrong to dump motor oil down a sewer don't think twice about not picking up after their pets.

In addition to scooping poop, people should refrain from walking their pets near streams and other waterways, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Dog poop hygiene also helps avert four-legged friends from sickening each other.

"We have yet to find a city in America where people love picking up poop," D'Aniello added. (ANI)