What do you do with your dogs poo?

[wvvdiup1]

I usually pick up after my dog on walks. However, when she poops in my yard, I take the "pooper scooper", scoop up her poop, then I take it to my "Poop Compost" box I built for this purpose. Then, every two weeks, I take my pitch fork and my shovel and mix it up, so that the poop decomposes thoroughly. When my box is full or the poop is fully decomposed, I spread it around my bushes, flowers, vegetable garden, or in places in my yard that needs fertilizer. I think this helps not only save on bags, but helps keep a lot of the bags out of the trash, and eventually, landfills.

[ClareMarsh]

We don't have a garden and even when we stay with my mum who does Ted rarely goes in the garden, he saves it for his walk I'm with you on the bags though, if I'm in a public place, park, on a trail etc I bag it. If I we're somewhere people don't typically walk or I can flick it into the bushes I do as I figure that's more environmentally friendly. And because Ted goes two or three times sometimes on walks I use the same bag as otherwise it seems such a waste, gross I know but it's better than loads of plastic being used and he's raw fed so his poos aren't that smelly and are teeny tiny

[ladybug1802]

When were out on a walk its always in the middle of the coutnryside, in fields that sometimes have cows or sheep in (therefore have cows or sheep poo in) or in the woods....so if he goes then I leave it or if it is in the way, flick it in the bushes. I figure its far better to let it biodegrade out there than put it in a plastic bag and bin it, where the plastic bag wont break down. If its round the vineyard where we walk sometimes I pick it up and take it home with me, unless its right by the hedgeline and I then flick it into the hedgerow.

My one thing i cant udnerstand is when people on walks (which also bearing ion mind are not parks etc, they are walking round proper countryside) pick up the poo in a bag, then tie the bag to the hedge or a tree and leave it there! If theyre going to leave poo then leave it on the floor where it can biodegrade....why put it in a bag first?? Wierd!

[JudyN]

My one thing i cant udnerstand is when people on walks (which also bearing ion mind are not parks etc, they are walking round proper countryside) pick up the poo in a bag, then tie the bag to the hedge or a tree and leave it there! If theyre going to leave poo then leave it on the floor where it can biodegrade....why put it in a bag first?? Wierd!

Oh I know, it's one of the unsolved mysteries of our time

I do as above - I've considered having a 'poo composting bin' in the garden but have heard mixed reports about how effective they are, and Jasper doesn't very often poo in the garden nowadays. I also use the same bag for multiple poos on a walk, though I probably have to be more careful about it than Clare does

[ClareMarsh]

My one thing i cant udnerstand is when people on walks (which also bearing ion mind are not parks etc, they are walking round proper countryside) pick up the poo in a bag, then tie the bag to the hedge or a tree and leave it there! If theyre going to leave poo then leave it on the floor where it can biodegrade....why put it in a bag first?? Wierd!

Oh I know, it's one of the unsolved mysteries of our time

I do as above - I've considered having a 'poo composting bin' in the garden but have heard mixed reports about how effective they are, and Jasper doesn't very often poo in the garden nowadays. I also use the same bag for multiple poos on a walk, though I probably have to be more careful about it than Clare does

I get really annoyed at the poo bag tied to the tree thing, I just don't get it

I must confess occasionally the poo bag I've used all walk accidentally finds it's way home with me and is carried around some more before I realise and throw it in the bin

[ladybug1802]

I have a great image now Clare of your going home, doing some chores, going to the supermarket, going to pay and presenting the cashier with a ncie warm steaming bag of poo!!

[ClareMarsh]

In the absence of having a dog walking bag with me (and I often don't as all Ted's stuff is so small I stick it in pockets) I have been known to drive home sitting on a nice bag of poo

[Sarah83]

My one thing i cant udnerstand is when people on walks (which also bearing ion mind are not parks etc, they are walking round proper countryside) pick up the poo in a bag, then tie the bag to the hedge or a tree and leave it there! If theyre going to leave poo then leave it on the floor where it can biodegrade....why put it in a bag first?? Wierd!

If I'm going to meet hubby from work and Spen poos on the way there I bag it and hang it on a tree to pick up on the way home. There are no bins on route and I find carrying a bag of poo, controlling an excited dog who thinks men with high vis jackets and guns all want to play with him (several of the guards make a big fuss of him so he thinks they all should) and showing my pass at the gate just doesn't work very well. I don't get those who bag it and just leave it there forever though.

I don't pick up in the woods unless it's right on the path. I've seen beetles swarming all over poo that people haven't picked up and it's never there for very long. I figure it's better for the environment for me to feed the baby beetles than bag it and bin it I carry a plastic ice cream tub in my backpack though for if I do need to pick up after him and the bags go in there until we come across a bin or get home. Outside the flat I pick up after him immediately and bin it.

[Suzette]

My one thing i cant udnerstand is when people on walks (which also bearing ion mind are not parks etc, they are walking round proper countryside) pick up the poo in a bag, then tie the bag to the hedge or a tree and leave it there! If theyre going to leave poo then leave it on the floor where it can biodegrade....why put it in a bag first?? Wierd!

This must be a regional thing as I have never seen that done in my neck of the woods. But I can only imagine that the folks doing it might think it's better to get it up off the ground where folks won't step in it? I don't know . . .

When we walk Piper, I always carry degradable poo bags with me (they break down within a year in a landfill) and pick up after her. At home, I always clean up the yard as soon as she poos and put it in a bucket (again lined with a degradable bag) which has a lid and once a week or so, we toss the whole thing in the trash. She does most of her poo's on walks, so not much at home to deal with.

[Ari_RR]

I can't stand carrying a poo bag. And I need 2 hands to navigate the leash, specially if it's a long 30 ft one.

So, i have this special pouch on a belt that goes around the waist where I put bags full of poo, and it's essentially on my back side. Works great.

I see poo bags left on the side from time to time... hopefully awaiting their owner returning and collecting them, but I doubt it. Not a pleasant thing to come across regardless of the reason why they were left there, quite frustrating.

[JudyN]

I always carry degradable poo bags with me (they break down within a year in a landfill)

Are you sure about that? My understanding was that in a typical landfill once they are buried they can last for decades it's not the fault of the bags: in one study, findings included 40-year-old newspapers that were still legible, 5-year-old lettuce and a 15-year-old hot dog It may actually be greener to bag it and stash it under a bush after all

I've just been reading about flushable poo bags in this article: http://www.simpleecology.com/eco/dog-wa ... nment.html Think I may have to investigate further...

[MPbandmom]

Out on walks I use poo bags assuming I can find the poo. Now that they are raw fed, they sometimes find an area with thick vegetation and Sirius has a tendancy to poo and try to bolt anyway which often distracts me from the spot where she pooed. I do give it a through search before I give up. In the dog park, Sky will often poo around where other owners have failed to clean up from their dogs. These are usually not raw fed dogs. I often pick up several piles from other dogs before finding where Sky went. Sometimes I don't find where Sky went, but I figure the little bit of her poo that I miss is countered by the humongous poos that I have cleaned up. I think the bags are supposed to be biodegradable, but I'm not totally sure. I either carry them in my hand or tie them to a carbiner that I have hooked to my training apron.

Dog Scouts can earn the Clean Up America badge by finding 50 bags of stray poo and cleaning it up. The dog has to locate the stray pile. This morning Siruis found one which was left right smack in the middle of the walkway. I need photographic proof on the stray poo pick up, and the dog is supposed to then assist in transporting the poo to an appropriate disposal site. This is where I have difficulty with the badge. I would likely end up with 50 different pictures of poo bags, and the dogs don't usually have their backpacks on to help with transport. I also feel like it is kind of mean to ask a dog with a super sensitive nose to carry a bag of poo from some other unknown dog. I would rather just have some kind of tally sheet like they use for the packdog badge. So, we cleaned up the poo, but didn't take the required picture and I carried it to the trash bin.

At home, I have a "diaper pail" with a trash bag and a pooper scooper for yard clean up. Since I have been walking them every morning, there is much less poo in the yard though, so I rarely even go searching. If they do poo in the yard, it is often in the back extension we did last winter and clean up back there is near impossible.

[Wilkie]

I always carry degradable poo bags with me (they break down within a year in a landfill)

Are you sure about that? My understanding was that in a typical landfill once they are buried they can last for decades it's not the fault of the bags: in one study, findings included 40-year-old newspapers that were still legible, 5-year-old lettuce and a 15-year-old hot dog It may actually be greener to bag it and stash it under a bush after all

I've just been reading about flushable poo bags in this article: http://www.simpleecology.com/eco/dog-wa ... nment.html Think I may have to investigate further...

I think it takes a long time for things to break down in landfills only because there isn't anything to break them down. Earthworms and other insects break compost down, but they need dirt in order to accomplish this. Landfills are just piles and piles of garbage that just sit there. That's why compost piles at home turn into soil faster. Of course some man made garbage don't break down as well.

[jacksdad]

In the absence of having a dog walking bag with me (and I often don't as all Ted's stuff is so small I stick it in pockets) I have been known to drive home sitting on a nice bag of poo

hehe...had similar happen. raw feed dog poop isn't as smelly over all, you don't get that nice odor reminding you "poo needs to be thrown away".

[Suzette]

I always carry degradable poo bags with me (they break down within a year in a landfill)

Are you sure about that? My understanding was that in a typical landfill once they are buried they can last for decades it's not the fault of the bags: in one study, findings included 40-year-old newspapers that were still legible, 5-year-old lettuce and a 15-year-old hot dog It may actually be greener to bag it and stash it under a bush after all

I've just been reading about flushable poo bags in this article: http://www.simpleecology.com/eco/dog-wa ... nment.html Think I may have to investigate further...

Well, here's the thing. That poo has to go into a bag while I'm out walking, so while I hope they do degrade over time it's still better than putting it in a bag that I know won't degrade over time. For now, that's the best I can do while out walking.

And while I don't know all the intricacies of landfills, I do know the ones in my area frequently use large equipment to tear up and aerate what is in the dumps under the theory that it will help with degrading and decomposition where that is possible.