“We pooped!” This was enthusiastically said by a friend, eyes shining and face flushed with victory, as if she had just won the National Finals. Turns out her dog is the kind who has trouble doing his business when distracted by the excitement of a sheepdog trial and had finally produced.
If you’re reading this post, you get it. Dogs are mammals, and mammals excrete waste in liquid and solid form. Some mammals, people included, care deeply about when and where this happens. Thus, Jim and I have a twice daily poop report. “Maggie pooped, but Skip didn’t; I’ll take him out later tonight before we go to bed.” No doubt, you have your own versions.
It should also be said that most of us find this topic aversive, and for good reason. But having a dog means dealing with it, so I’m hoping you’ll keep reading. Toward that end, I’m front-loading some positive reinforcement. It turns out that writing about this topic leads to more rabbit holes than imaginable, and while some of them are yucky, some of them are great. Here’s my favorite, which I strongly suggest you listen to while reading the rest. (I did the same while writing this, until I started dancing and then couldn’t write any more . . .)
I was motivated to write after reading about the environmental problems related to dogs and dogs poo. According to some sources, dogs deposit about 10 million tons of poop every year in the U.S., and just a tiny amount of dog poop is capable of closing down a local beach for weeks. The fact is that pet waste is a serious pollutant, not only adding dangerous bacteria to waterways (hello toxoplasmosis and giardiasis), but also decreasing available oxygen and creating dangerous algae blooms, killing fish and, ironically, sometimes dogs. So what do we do?
Every site I found focusing on this issue begged us, to save the environment, to pick up our dog’s poop in plastic bags. Wait, did they say plastic? The stuff that is killing animals everywhere? Okay, taking a breath here.
[If this stresses you as much as it does me, this might be a good time for another hit of Ooh Poo Pah Doo.]
Okay, what are our options? First, it’s clear that we really, really need to pick up poop. No matter where you are, it’s going to work its way into the water system eventually. Of course, some areas are more at risk than others, but I don’t think I need to enroll readers in the importance of taking care of, uh, business. But what is the best way to do that?
One way to help is to pay attention to the bags we use. At minimum, at least we can use bags that are made with recycled plastic. BUT, (I’m not yelling but I am raising my voice here), I couldn’t find out how much is actually recycled, and most importantly, all that plastic is still going to go some where eventually. Not to mention that the Pogi brand, for example, which advertises itself as “earth friendly,” is made in China, and I’m not a fan of shipping something that simple from that far away.
Even better, we can use bags that are not made of plastic at all. I found
Earth Friendly Tips to be the most helpful site in sorting out our options. I just ordered their top choice in bio bags, we’ll see how they work out. Factors to consider include where they are made and what they mean by “biodegradable.” Unless they have a good ASTM rating, it might take years for them to truly biodegrade. Of course, then my mind goes to the question “If the bags degrade, then doesn’t the poop still end up in the water?” Presumably that is why we’re advised to make sure the poop ends up either in a landfill or a toilet that leads to a sewer system, areas designed to keep bad things out of the water system (or should be).
If you’re at home, you have options besides putting poop into bags, no matter what they are made of. We use a scooper here at the farm if the dogs go close to the house, which all goes into a bucket that is then taken to the dump and buried in a land fill eventually. If you’re not on a septic system, you can use bags that you can flush down your toilet that degrade as soon as they hit water. (Check with your local utilities, not all systems can handle dog or cat waste. Anyone used these?)
It turns out that I could write for days about this topic, but there are dogs to work and a garden to weed, so I’m stopping here. I hope this has given you some ideas and some resources, and inspires you to let us know other solutions that you are aware of. I found it’s easy to gather information on line about this topic, including practical information from One Green Planet’s site, that includes ideas about home digesters. Any one ever used one in their own yard? (Note: They apparently don’t work under 40 degrees F, so they are out for winters in Wisconsin.)
If you to continue down this path, I wrote in March of 2015 an “All About Poop” post that talks about teaching dogs to eliminate in a specific area, and the importance of picking up any piles you see when out in public, no matter whether it’s from your dog or not. Jim and I always carry extra bags and pick up droppings when we can. That’s in part because we are trying to be citizen’s of the earth, and in part because we selfishly don’t want others to ruin it for the rest of us and get dogs banned from public areas.
In closing, I’ll leave you with a question that has bugged me for decades: What do dogs think we do with all that poop? Stash it away to eat in the hard times?
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: We spent most of last weekend at the Cedar Stone Sheepdog Trial, joining, for the first time, the line of campers that migrate around to trials. That’s our little Sunlite 18″ camper in the foreground, sitting like a Bichon puppy beside the grown up Great Danes and Bullmastiff’s lining up behind us.
It was our first real trip in the camper, and it was both weird and wonderful. Weird because my brain is still trying to wrap around feeling like we’re camping, (cuz you really are in many ways), and yet with a microwave, oven and indoor shower. Does not compute yet. Wonderful because it was such a relief to take a break on the bed during a hot part of the day, and to later wake up the next day in the dark at the trial site, watching it come to life as the sun crept up and the birds began to sing. We were especially grateful to be in our camper with so many others who know what they are doing. The camper learning curve is ridiculously steep; it seems we are all bonded by the trauma of figuring how to use them. (No manual, honestly.) Massive thanks to all the people who gave us advice and encouragement. (Especially you, Paul!)
Maggie thought sleeping on the bed instead of being in the crate was the best thing ever. Skip initially lept up onto the bed and then flattened himself on top of me like a barnacle while panting as if terrified. He isn’t allowed up on the couch at home with me, Jim and Maggie (no room, Maggie gets squatter’s rights) and I think he wanted to be there but was afraid he shouldn’t be. I gently suggested he get down back onto the floor, not easy since I was well and truly flattened, and he curled up on the floor and slept like a baby.
I have few photos of the trial, and we didn’t get a video of the relatively good run that Skip and I had. His first run was mediocre at best (43/90) and unlike him–he over ran at the top and then was slow and hesitant around the entire course. His second run was gorgeous, except that I gave him the wrong flank at a critical time, and then compounded it by giving him two more because I was so rattled. He absolutely had to know I was messing up, and yet he forgave me (doesn’t always happen with many dogs), kept responding, and finished up with a beautiful rest of the run. He got a total of 67/90 (18/20 outrun, 9/10 lift, 17/20 fetch and only 13/30 on the drive, all my fault of course, and 10/10 on the pen.) My biggest challenge is keeping my old brain together when under pressure and not giving a wrong flank. Sigh, working on it.
Unlike the last trial in which Maggie had a brilliant run and placed fourth, Maggie struggled at this trial. I called her off during the first run because she seemed so confused or unwilling to keep pushing the sheep in the correct direction. She did better, much better in the second run, but we got DQ’d because I didn’t go far enough past the second set of gates. But she still seemed so unsure and hesitant, partly no doubt because although she adores flighty sheep, she finds it just too hard to move sheep who need more push. I am also wondering if she is beginning to have trouble hearing. She is 8 and a half, and that’s when a lot of dogs start struggling both with the mental and physical challenge and their ability to hear. I have pulled her from some of the upcoming trials, but will keep her in a few that will be easier for her, and see how she does. I’ve always known, as you’ve known if you’ve followed this blog long enough, that Maggie probably was never the dog to run in the “advanced” class (Open), but I wanted to give it our best shot. But I won’t keep it up if she tells me she’s done. That’s her call. I should say here that whatever happens, I have no regrets. Maggie is one of the dearest dogs I have ever had, and I can’t believe my luck in getting her.
I did get a few shots of other dogs, including this stunning profile of the beautiful Sile (“Sheila), owned by Nancy F. What a face. She and I had a face licking session (just her, I promise I did not lick her face with my tongue) that was as much fun as a person can have. I adored her.
Here’s more fun from trial: A scene not often seen on the course, when a dog runs out onto the course during another’s run. Janet H’s Jess was in the middle of fetching the sheep when another dog appeared from behind her (I’m talking to you John W) and interrupted with lust on his mind. Check out Jess’s face and ears, she was literally in the middle of a run, and the only possible translation here is, my apologies, “WTF”.
I’ll end with some favorites from the garden: The Hibiscus are in full bloom and the adorable tree frog below took over the cat’s water bowl a few days ago. I gently picked him up, placed him in a safer area and gave the cats fresh water.
May your week be full of your own good stories, good friends and a place to put your dog’s poop that is good to the earth. Let’s hear it for Ooh poo pah doo.
Alex W says
Ahahaha I love this post!! It was especially excellent with the soundtrack you provided:) Now that we have a great big yard I’ve been thinking of trying to train the doggos (or just one of them) to sniff out poop piles and point them out to me, since I always seem to miss one while doing morning poop pick up. It seems a little undignified but they sure could find it faster than I can! I’ve never tried to train nose work before though, beyond a simple “find it” command for searching for stuff like dropped toys and treats. I’m not quite sure how to get them to interact with the poop without us all having to get gross. Maybe a “look at that”? Translated slowly into “poop”! And then ask it as a question a few steps removed from a pile and see if they orient to it? What if I ask them to find poop in the yard and there isn’t any? How many times is it ok for that to happen before they get frustrated? Thanks for the idea to flush it away as opposed to throwing it out…I’m intrigued and am going to do some more research.
Bruce says
We recycle plastic bags as poop bags. Newspaper bags, shopping bags, etc. We have even received much-appreciated gifts of (clean) plastic bags that others have collected. And yes, if we are taking n dogs for a walk, we always have at least n+1 poop bags. I am pretty sure that we have picked up more dog poop than our dogs have produced. Occasionally one of the neighbors will emerge from their house and thank us for picking up after our dog.
Story time. When I was a kid, the neighbor that lived on the corner had strongly negative views about unwanted dog poop. I suppose if you live on the corner you get more than your share. Anyway, watching from the living room window I observed someone walk away without picking up after their dog had done its business on the neighbor’s lawn.
To my astonishment the neighbor burst out of his house, PICKED UP THE DOG POOP WITH HIS BARE HANDS (!?!), and ran screaming after the miscreant. So yes, dog poop can be serious business.
Annie says
I love the idea of flushable poop bags however .44 cents per bag (per poop for 3 dogs x 2 poops per day = $2.64 / day just on poop bags – not including the pickups I make from other dogs so my dogs don’t step in poop and bring it back to the house) this is way out of my price range. I live in the city and hate using the plastic bags but they are the only ones I can afford. The composible ones are okay to use but they are also more expensive, I have gotten those ones on sale. Where I live we are supposed to bring home the poop and flush, but who wants to deal with a stinky used poop bag or 3?
Erin says
I’m ashamed to say I used the cheap dog poop bags from the dollar store because that’s what my mother would put in Chloe’s stocking every Christmas. She also bought her some that were baby powder scented. Wouldn’t have splurged on them myself but it was nice not to smell dog poop for the rest of the walk, especially since Chloe liked to poop before setting out. Although unfortunately not on our own yard or I would’ve just cleaned it up with a paper towel with we got home.
I like the idea of the compostable bags, trouble is unless your composting them yourself they’ll just wind up in a landfill in conditions that won’t allow it to compost. *sigh*
MinnesotaMary says
I have a wonderful neighbor who still receives the daily newspaper. It always comes in a plastic bag, regardless of weather. For a few years now, he’s been plunking a bag full of newspaper bags on my porch for my poop picking use. Minneapolis used to send refuse to the incinerator, so hopefully the plastic doesn’t end up in the landfill!
Alice says
Thank you for bringing attention to the water quality issues caused by dog poop!
Disposal in the landfill is preferred to flushing, as flushing can clog pipes and affect the treatment process before treated wastewater is returned to a waterway.
The most baffling thing I routinely encounter (along the trails in my local, managed natural area) are poop filled bags – mostly “compostable” types – tucked under logs and behind rocks. Why bother?! Plus, they’re adding litter, instead of picking up AND REMOVING the dog poop.
One last thing – compostable bags. When dog poop is properly disposed, it’s at the landfill. Composting is not part of that process. Therefore, the most environmentally conscientious bag would be a reused plastic one, not a single use compostable one that won’t be composted anyway.
Thanks for listening. It’s a passionate topic!
Susan says
I look forward to and love every single one of your blog entries, and this was no exception. I loved the main topic as well as your personal stories. To address the RVing aspect, we’ve been RVing for almost 20 seasons now so if you have specific questions (sewer systems, hitches, storage suggestions, dog tips, etc.), please ask—we’ve all been there! 😄
Lee Anne says
I’ve worried about this subject often. My question….when I was a kid my parents used cow manure on our garden, I’m assuming because the cows didn’t eat meat there was no ecoli etc in their poop? Would it make a difference if we fed our dogs vegan diets? But then what protein source?? All those lentils and peas are supposedly not good for them. With 2 big dogs I have a lot of poop!! There’s got to be a solution!!!
Nora says
I have to say my Newfie is raw fed, you’d think a 10lb dog pooped when he goes. It’s marvelous!! And if by chance it’s not picked up in my yard it turns white and crumbles. Less waste! I prb could even flush it🤔 I’m currently reading your book, “For the love of a dog” ❤️❤️❤️
M.H. D. says
Unfortunately the public sewer system, whether it treats to secondary or tertiary standards, is not designed to accept “flushables” readily. Truthfully, it’s really not able to accept humans’ poop and pee to provide a reasonably “clean” discharge. Medications exit by solid or liquid excretion which the system isn’t able to neutralize beyond large scale, or gross characteristics. Hence when water supplies are tested, there’s more traces of these medications than are good for us in the long run. When, of course, we’re dead anyway.
Ellen says
I just brought home a new puppy (Yay! but also What have I done?!) and have been thinking about this stinky topic a lot lately.
I was reading up on setups like the Doggie Dooley, and other DIY doggy septic digester setups. They seems like a potentially good solution if you have the right property for it. Certainly a good way to avoid plastic, but I haven’t seen much info on how well they really work to avoid the other negative impacts of dog poo in the environment.
In any case, I think my yard it too wet/poorly drained to risk trying it out, but maybe someone else here has some experience or insight on this method?
Jackie Liversidge says
I love reading your posts and this topic is a doozy.
Here’s a post from Dr David Suzuki, our local celebrity scientist.
https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/disposing-dog-poop-green-way/
Barbara says
To Alex W: For years I’ve been using those orange stake flags you see at building sites to mark where my dog makes his deposit. You can get them at a hardware store like Home Depot. That way your yard doesn’t turn into a poop minefield where you have to watch every step. The only drawbacks are you need to accompany the dog outside to flag it and if you are lax in picking up those flags, your yard can look like a construction zone.
Sherri says
I did try a “doggie dooley” yard septic system, but it didn’t work in my yard and location. I’m on the No. Cal coast and temps here are in the 50’s and 60’s most days. Also, I reached the water table when digging the hole; though with the current drought that might not be an issue.
Sue says
This is in response to Alex W. We have three Labs, all with great noses. One is particularly adept at finding a pile of poop I may have missed in our yard because of all the shrubs and perennials. All I have to say to her is, “Where’s Casey-poop?” and by golly, she’ll take me to it. I never really trained her to do this but it works almost every time when I don’t see where she or one of the other dogs has pooped. She knows she’ll always get a treat for her unique scent work. 🙂
Amy says
Wait – What about in-ground systems like the “Doggie Dooley”? I realize that doesn’t work for city folks, but is it an ecologically sound option for those of us out in the country?
Martha says
As for poop bags on trails. When I had a tracking class a ways up a hiking trail, invariably my dog would poop as we were starting up. I’d bag it and stash it and take it to the garbage can in the parking lot on the way out. I would hope others do the same. If I saw any additional bags, I would consolidate all and dispose responsibly.
Susan S says
What about composting? We live in a more or less rural area, but we have a “potty yard” for the dogs to use for quick trips. What we pick up there we put in a compost pile that’s mostly dirt with grass clippings & the like. We turn the pile regularly & end up with really fertile soil we use everywhere except in veggie gardens. We do live on a lake. So which is worse, that very rich soil or the infrequent use of fertilizer? Not to muddy the waters, so to speak, but Wisconsin produces a widely used fertilizer called Milorganite made with material collected from the Milwaukee sewage treatment plant.
Sue says
I’ve often wondered what a visitor from another planet would think is in all these carefully collected and tied off bags. Even if I use a so-called biodegradable bag, which still takes time to biodegrade, I collect them in a larger trash bag to put out with the rest of the trash. These things are well-protected from the elements. Remains quite the conundrum.
Caryl-Rose in Northeast USA says
In the 3 seasons that my location is reliably above freezing, I use an in-ground dog poop compost system for anything that they produce in my yard. That means about 90% of their poop, 3 seasons, composts. Early each spring, I shovel it out, nicely composted, no odor, and use it to fertilize my lawn (that green stuff that grows with lots of variety of things that I keep mowed to make it less hospitable to ticks). Can’t use it on vegetable plantings but my lawn loves it. The other season…I use biodegradable bags but will check to see just what that actually means in the landfill.
Great post, as always! Thank you!
Cassie says
Here in Portland, I use a pet waste composting service. It’s about $10 per week for them to pick up a 5 gallon bucket full of waste that they take to their facility and compost.
Some larger commercial operations in the Portland area make use of the service as well which is awesome! The Oregon Humane Society is one of them.
https://greenpetcomposting.com/
Jean Silva says
We in the rabbit world have a very different approach to poop. Every day we look at size and amount. We discuss poop with our rabbit friends. It is one of the first questions we ask if someone is worried about their rabbit. We boast of our rabbits’ poop. I still have plans for a poop-a-meter to measure the diameter of your bunny’s poop. You can pot directly in rabbit poop (I am told. I have never done so myself). We share our rabbits’ poop with our neighbors and farms for use in their compost pile.
Margo says
We used flushable poop bags the whole time we had our dog (about 6 years) and they worked perfectly. Never had a problem with the toilets clogging (in two very old New England houses with old systems), ever. The only drawback is that if it’s raining, they will start to break down before you get home, and they can be hard to open (impossible with one hand, so you’ve got to open them up before you leave the house). I definitely recommend!
Tails Around the Ranch says
Thanks for bringing this subject up (and big kudos for the music video which was ‘pawfect’ and fun to listen to, both times). For the yard I scoop into a lidded bucket and send it off with the trash in a bag about every quarter. It’s not so bad in the cooler months but in the heat I definitely hold my nose. When walking the dogs around the neighborhood I try to use the least amount of bags on the walk to minimize the plastic or bio bags and only discard when completely full. A nutritionally sound food makes for fewer piles so I’m hoping our efforts make a difference. It’s astounding how many people in the city don’t pick up after their pets but that’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish. Thanks again for the tune, I’m tapping my toes and wanting to dance now!
LisaW says
Oy, this topic is as difficult as it is stinky! If the dog poop gets tossed in the landfill, where does the run-off eventually end up? Lined and leachate collection system landfills are now “required” for new operations, but most operating landfills are older and not equipped with either. With septics being one of the largest contributors to ground water contamination, poop in our landfills doesn’t seem like a good solution (or rather it becomes a solution and hence a problem). More good info here: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-08/documents/mgwc-gwc1.pdf
Where I live, our lakes have become more and more susceptible to Cyanobacteria blooms and beaches are often closed for days at a time. Here’s the thing: The build up of the bacteria mostly comes from storm water runoff, antiquated agricultural practices, septics, and yes, animal waste. The latter being the least contributor. I do agree it is important to pick up your dog’s poop, but when I am standing by a brook that has run through three suburban neighborhoods, under two strip malls, next to two main arteries, and then directly into the lake, where there are two signs: Beach Closed and Pick Up Your Dog’s Poop, I have to wonder: are we ignoring larger pollution sources (and therefore harder to correct) for the lowest hanging fruit (bad jokes stifled)?
Composting is a great idea, but we need to make sure the piles reach a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria and decompose the organic and inorganic matters. That’s tricky but doable. (We did try the Doogie Dooley, and it was an effluent exercise in futility. We ended up with a buried column of frozen poop!) I like the idea of a community poop composting operation — Doggie-Doo Drop In! The compost could be used to fertilize municipalities’ flowers or greenbelts?
It is a conundrum, and it is tied to much bigger issues, and I don’t have the answer, just more questions. Thanks for starting this important conversation.
Ricki says
I love your writings / advice and am a big fan, but not sure I am on board with this…I have cleaned up after my large dogs (setters and golden retrievers) for a long lifetime now. Paper bags in trash mostly until plastic became the norm. But pet waste is toxic to the environment? Mammals, birds, reptiles, insects of all shapes and sizes have been pooping on Mother Earth for eons. Is life on this planet so fundamentally flawed? I completely understand the sanitation and inconvenience issues on asphalt in cities and suburbs but poop just degrades in the dirt otherwise. Of course no one wants to step in it, but toxic? What am I missing here?
Susanne Bark says
https://thegreenhubonline.com/2017/08/08/how-to-make-a-diy-dog-poo-compost/
Hi Patricia,
What about something like this?
Trisha says
Alex W: Great timing! I’m working on teaching Maggie to find Skip’s poop without eating it. All I’m doing is waiting for Skip to poop (I of course am keeping an eye on him), saying “Find the poop” to Maggie, letting her go over to sniff it and calling her to me before she can eat it. Then she gets great treats. Will it work? Stay tuned!
Trisha says
Bruce: Bare hands? Now that is commitment. Or perhaps just a very high level of arousal!!!
Trisha says
Annie, totally get the cost issue. And I too wouldn’t bring home a bag of poop,squeeze the poop out of the bag and then… what? Wash out the bag in the kitchen sink? Not me either, I have to admit. I’m going to go for non-plastic bags, because plastic is so harmful, and take it to the dump (we don’t have garbage service), where it will then go into the landfill. We all have to pick our best option, even if it’s not perfect.
Trisha says
Erin: But at least they are not plastic! Isn’t that better?
Trisha says
Alice, thanks so much for chiming in and adding your knowledge. Here’s one thought about the poop stashed under a log by the trial though: Jim and I have done exactly that when one of our dogs poops at the beginning of a long walk. We stash it so it doesn’t bother others, and then pick it up on our way back. And I’m so curious and interested in your comment about plastic vs. compostable. Yay using a plastic bag again, but it’s still going to turn into microplastics, right? Please educate me!
Trisha says
Susan, thanks so much for the offer! I will no doubt take you up on it!
Trisha says
Lee Anne: Yes, you’re right. Cows eat grass (same with rabbits who only eat veggies), dogs normally eat meat. No one puts meat in their compost pile, right?
Trisha says
Nora, yay! and thanks for reading For the Love of a Dog!”
Trisha says
Perhaps it’s appropriate then, MHD, for me to say Holy Crap? I knew that medications are often in our water supply… but not that discharge is still so nasty. Maybe I’m glad we’re on a well. (I know, I know….)
lin says
A number of years ago, I ran across a vermicomposting site that sold a container for earthworms to compost dog poop. I had an extra compost container, so I got a bag of garden soil, earthworms from my kitchen compost, and started burying my dog’s poop. It took a bit, and the worms are definitely more enthusiastic in the warmer months, but I haven’t thrown out a bag of poop in several years. I live in California, so I can do it all year ’round. Once a year I’ll scoop out about half (avoiding burying anything there for three or four weeks) and scatter it in the front yard where we have wildflowers. I have plastic on the bottom of the container (which sits on the ground), so the Bermuda grass and oxalis don’t come up through it.
Jenny Haskins says
We love on acreage. We do NOT pick up dog poop. The wee beasties in the leaf litter and soils do a good job. Exactly the same way that they work with bird poop, and lizard poop and cow poop, and chook poop . . .
We DO pick up from public thoroughfares.
Of course our own poop also goes into the soil here –via our septic tank
Elsie Louise Pfleider says
Thank you. I really liked this piece, and the musical interludes were refreshing. The gated village where I live has great neighbors who always pick up, and even greater neighbors who pick up after others; but there are some who don’t think much of leaving it behind. It’s a constant battle. Penalties are in place and they don’t work. Reminders are like New Year’s resolutions. Sadly, the battle puts dog owners on the defensive. The thing is, even for those of us who do pick up, it’s not reinforcing to walk home with a few bags full of yesterday’s meal. So what I have decided to do is make sure the dogs first do their business in our yard, before the walk. Then it can all be cleaned up easily. Admittedly, some of the dogs go more than once. They we don’t walk far until they’ve done their business again. We can then clean up and take it home, before proceeding on the walk. For these, we use the most biodegradable bags available. Not always easy, but we try. For what’s on the lawn, we first sprinkle the mound with a mix of saw dust, coconut choir, sand, and composting enzymes, and then we sweep everything up. It’s all put in a covered composting bin that’s buried in the ground. It has worked pretty well so far. The smell is not offensive when you take the cover off. We made sure to keep the bins away from water ways and food gardens. I do live in a country where the regular ambient temperature is fairly warm all year round so that might make a difference. In any case, once the bin is full it’s left to rest for a month or so while we use another bin. The resulting material is like soil and we use it to fertilize ornamental plants and trees. We make sure the dogs are dewormed regularly. They don’t get to scavenge or hunt wild life, and they are fed home cooked food without too much bulk or highly scented additives. I figure if we mind what goes in, whatever comes out can be more safely managed.
Anna says
The problem with biodegradable poo bags is, that they are made of a large percentage of plastic with a pretty small percentage of some sort of starch. As soon as they start to break down, all that plastic (now turned into micro plastic) is released into the environment.
So bummer, in the end biodegradable bags might be even worse for the planet than usual plastic bags, in the short run, and might make no difference at all in the long run (since regular plastic also turns into micro plastic after years and years at some disposal site somewhere.
Trisha says
Anna: Whoa, explain about the plastics in “biodegradable” bags. I’ve actually reached out to Earth Hero, who recommended the bags I ordered and asked whether there is plastic in their bags. I’ll keep you posted.
Trisha says
Elise, kudos to you for your efforts to take care of your dog’s waster so thoughtfully. I’m inspired. (Wouldn’t work in WI of course in winter, but still….)
Trisha says
lin: You gotta love earthworms! This is very interesting, I’m going to check it out.
Trisha says
Ricki: Thanks for chiming in. As someone who thought nothing of letting her cat on the dining room table, I am fully on board with avoiding being illogically fastidious. I do get the concern about the use of the word “toxic”. I even looked up the definition. “Poisonous.” No, poop isn’t poison. “Highly aversive and unpleasant.” Yeah, okay I get that. I think the issue around my area is that there are so many areas where one can walk dogs are close to water ways, and we have a huge problem with dangerous algae, low oxygen levels and what is basically disgusting and sometimes dangerous water. Much of that is from agricultural processes, but large amounts of dog waste can add to the problem. I’m not enough of an expert on exactly what happens when large amounts of dog poo gets washed into waterways around the country, but it does seem believable that it’s a concern, especially given the large numbers of dogs in some area. Yes, there is bird/mammal waste, but, living in an area where giarrdia is a serious issue, no one would want to add to that. (I’ve had it, REALLY no fun.) Here’s what I know right now: I had no idea what a rabbit hole I was going down regarding this issue, and right now I feel like I know much much less than I did before. That’s often a good sign of learning, right, she said, licking her paws . . .
Shana says
I will just say that this is one of my pet peeves (dog poop that is). We live in a pretty urban/suburban area of CA near a river with both a dirt access road (water district owned) and a paved community trail. There are poop bags provided and separate poop waste stations along the paved trail. I am utterly amazed at the amount of dog poop that people just can’t be bothered to pick up. I have heard every excuse. My favorite is that you can’t tell if it is from a dog or a coyote (oh yes you can!) and what is the issues it will degrade (no it doesn’t). I could literally spend days cleaning it up and come back and find more the next day. I have even posted on our community app a few times about it. The river and associated basins supply our underground water table and while the water goes through a treatment plant before it gets to us there are still things that don’t get completely removed. I don’t understand why people don’t make more of an issue about it for just that reason, let alone the fact that you may very well track it home on your shoes or bicycle tires and there are lots of tiny humans running, playing and yes, falling all along the trail. I would not want my child or grandchild playing there that’s for sure!
Karen Longanecker says
Hahaha! You’re amazing! Thanks very much for all the information you so generously share and for all the beautiful pics and–oh yes–great music too! Thank you for making our lives (and our dogs’ lives) better in many ways.
Diane says
Yep, I have a pet peeve for poop not picked up potentially packed with pathogen pests. Probably more a suburban peeve. Prominent post!
Melanie Hawkes says
I make sure Upton goes to the toilet before we go for a walk as I’m a wheelchair user and can’t pick it up. He still does poop occasionally (on walks), and I feel bad for not picking it up, but try and only let him go in an area nobody steps (like verges nobody cares about). I now get him to pick up litter that we find (but still not pooh. He draws the line at that!). This week alone he picked up 30 tea bags and a giant piece of plastic sheeting 😊
One day we found a fresh pooh on the footpath, and a neighbour was cleaning it up. She said “It’s ok, we know you can’t pick Upton’s pooh up!” When I told her it wasn’t his she was so angry! There’s no excuse for laziness.
At home I have two dog pooh worm farms. They’re essentially a large plastic paint bucket with the bottoms cut off, dug into the ground, leaving the lids at ground level. Add worms, then add the pooh on top. One filled up quicker than the worms could eat it, so now we add some microbial sawdust stuff each time which helps it break down faster. Once one is full, we leave it to “cook” (I call it poop pudding or sh*t stew) and fill the next one, then empty the cooked one onto the garden and repeat! See before and after picture here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12mNp0ngqC9Q08tDsViujuC93sEn8mHw6/view?usp=drivesdk
As above, you can’t use on edible gardens, and if you worm your dog regularly the pooh will kill your worms, and you also can’t add scraps or they’ll eat them and not the pooh!
Carol Harty says
Thank you for this post Tricia. I ordered the bio poop bags from one of the links you mentioned , and will use those away from home. At home, a bucket lined with a recommended trash bag will have to do it. I live in Western NY, with cold winters and heavy clay soil, so no dog waste composter for us. Wish the “ good” bags were cheaper!
Marilyn LeBlond says
Years ago my two dogs accompanied me on a visit to rural NE Washington state. We arrived at my cousin’s cabin in the evening. The dogs pooped and I planned to clean up after them the following morning. But by then I was not able to find a hint of the poop, which apparently had been disposed of by dung beetles. I’ve often thought about the feasibility of designing a dog waste system featuring dung beetles, or of importing them to my suburban W Washington neighborhood… Yikes 😬!
Pooch & Poodle says
It’s the stuff we don’t like to talk about that eventually builds up to a crescendo … and then everyone eventually realizes that we should have been talking about it ages ago ‘and then we wouldn’t be in the mess’ (no pun intended). Good to see you’re ahead of the curve. Most people think it’s simply a question of civic duty, but it goes much deeper than that 🙂
May says
Hi, I’ve been using BioBags because they are made of vegetable plastic and will compost. My municipality has recently started to accept dog poop in the green bin. Thank you for this discussion!
Frances Smith says
Great post about things I have wondered about … pick up, yes, but is plastic worse than poop”
We purchased a large green funnel like device that screws into our sewer line access/cleanout T. It has a handled screw cap that you can remove and we are able to “flush” our dog waste directly into the sewer outtake on our property. The manufacturer was very clear that you should not use for cat waste as waste water processing does not handle some organisms in cat poop.
The plastic bags are still used, for dog walks etc.