Pirates Golf Classic Results & Club Notice Regarding Dog Fouling

Thanks to all who supported the Golf Classic, 25 Teams went out,incl 2 ladies Teams. We did not seek any sponsorship from outside the Club this year, but still managed to make raise some much needed funds even after purchasing prizes for €620.00. Special thanks must go to club stalwart Eddie McCarthy, who ran the event single handed. Spots were donated by Kevin Condon and Eithne O’Connell. A word of thanks also to Pat Fiend of Cobh Golf Club for his help in organising the event.

1st. A. White, L.Sisk, R. Mahony.

2nd. S. Mulcahy, M. Moran, B. Anglim.

3rd. B. Daly, S. Halpin, C. O’Sullivan.

4th. R. McLoughlin, R. Cullinane, J. O’Mahony.

Ladies. H. Casey, M. Hurst. C. Cronin.

Nearest the Pin.  M. Flynn.

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Dog Fouling

As all local people know Cobh Pirates is a family orientated club, catering for children aged 5 to 19, and both adult and male teams. Due to the sheer number of people, 300 children and 70 or more adult players, using the club facilities to train and all at varying times it is not practical to have a lock on the main gate.  However, because the main gate is not closed, this does not give people, the right to use the grounds to bring their pets for a run around etc. Only recently other sporting clubs around the town have endured similar problems.

An excited dog, not on a leash could pose a danger to a child in the area. But even more frightening are the, mostly unknown facts, about dog faeces. It is becoming only too common to have the playing areas littered with dog foul which then has to be removed prior to training etc. A common myth is that it provides ” fertilization etc”. This is exactly that, a myth. Not to try and alarm people, here are some facts; Dog foul  is NOT good fertilizer. It’s toxic to your lawn or grass! The high nutrient concentration in dog poop will burn and discolor the grass, creating “hot spots”.

Nearly two decades ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified pet waste as a dangerous pollutant in the same category as toxic chemicals and oil. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms pet waste can spread parasites including hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms and Salmonella. When infected dog poop comes into contact with your lawn, the poop will eventually “disappear”, but the parasite eggs can linger for years! When a human or animal comes into contact with that soil through everyday activities like walking barefoot  or playing sports and falling bare handed, they risk infection from those eggs … even years after the poop is gone.

Pet waste is teaming with E. Coli and other harmful bacteria including fecal coliform bacteria, which causes serious kidney disorders, intestinal illness, cramps and diarrhea in humans. (There are 23 million fecal coliform bacteria in a single gram of pet waste!)  Dog poop often contains roundworm larvae, which cause blindness. If a human ingests a roundworm larva, it can migrate through the body causing disease to the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart or eyes. So when people (especially children) touch soil, dog toys or anything that has been in contact with dog feces and then touch their mouths, they can become infected.  The main danger to human health in dog faeces is the presence of the eggs of Toxocara Canis. This is a roundworm which lives, harmlessly, in dogs but presents severe danger to humans. A dog can pass 15,000 eggs in just one gram of faeces. Toxacara can also spread through unwashed vegetables as they can live in the soil long after the faeces have disappeared, even up to three years. There are two ways that the ingestion of Toxocara eggs can harm humans.

The first is when a large number of eggs hatch inside the body. The spread of the larvae often lead to extreme fever and illness. This happens because the human body rejects them and tries to pass them through the liver. The second way that these larvae can harm humans is much more dramatic. If a single larva invades one of the body’s most delicate structures, such as the retina, severe damage can occur, leading to severe visual impairment or total blindness.

With all this in mind Cobh Pirates RFC strongly encourage people not to use their grounds as a play area for their dogs, and would appreciate the immediate ceasing of such activities.