I want to click the "like" button on this post!

I recently "busted" a man walking his dog in my alley. He let the dog crap, right by my car door, and not seeing me he proceeded to walk away. I came out of the garage and said harshly, "Are you gonna pick that up?"

He replied, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to bring a bag along."

Really? You took your dog for a walk, presumably to crap, and you "forgot" a bag to pick it up? Really?

Then there is my neighbor who thinks my yard is a much better place for her dog to crap than her yard. I usually find it while mowing the grass. I confronted her and she said, "I can't control where the dog craps." I suggested that the animal control officer might be interested to know she couldn't control her dog. I also often will use a shovel to gently relocate the piles to her sidewalk. She still seems completely indifferent.

Makes me want to move to the country and buy a shotgun.

I used to have a sign in my yard that said "I don't poop in your lawn..." but I think I like this one better http://www.signswithanattitude.com/individual_signs/912-07-007.html

I only drop my dog's crap in someone else's trash can if the can is full, meaning it's about to be picked up. Because people haul those cans back into their garage, and even in a bag, dog poo can really stink up a garage.

I've been meaning to make this exact same post for about the past twelve months. My perception of dog owners really bottomed out during the period when I was living in a place with a front yard where people like to walk their dogs.

I think you should not use other people's garbage cans to deposit your dog poo. I like dogs, used to have dogs, and always took a bag with me on walks. Living like that, you get used to the stuff. But after not having a dog for many years now, dog poo is unbelievably gross. Even if I still had a dog, poop is grosser when it comes out of someone else's pet. And if the bag hits the bottom of the trash can, it can stick there, needing to be manually scraped off.

HBH: So you are walking London Rd from 4oth-60th, your dog messes on 51st, you leave it at the corner, walk to 60th, pick it up on 51st, and then carry it back to 40th?  I can't imagine it.

I think it's Ok to leave bagged crap in a trash can if the can is waiting on the curb for the trash haulers, but not if it is already emptied. But the whole idea of poop in bags in a landfill doesn't sit well with me--wouldn't it be better to have that natural substance decompose naturally?

What confuses me are the folks who bring bags with them as they walk through Chester (or wherever), bag their dog's mess, and then leave the bag on the trail. Who do they think is going to pick that up? I would rather they not bag it at all and simply find some way (a flick with a stick?) to make sure it is NOT on the trail where it can be stepped on. At least that way it will decompose, like the excrement left by deer, bears, raccoons, squirrels, lynx (?), and myriad other critters that do indeed shit in the woods.

(E., as a dog owner, I carry the bags and pick up the mess, but I have to admit there have been days when I did indeed simply forget the bag--it does happen and it's not that hard to believe. Does that make my life expendable? Hardly worth shooting someone over dog poop, don't you suppose?)

Yes, David. 20 fewer blocks with a warm bag of shit in my hand is better than 20 more. And I'm so paranoid about offending anyone with my dog's poop that I will indeed pick it up. (I don't let my dog pee on anything other than a full grown tree or rocks, either.)

And yeah, Tony I agree that if you're in the woods, where no one is going to mow or walk on it, flicking is sensible.

Leave the bag on the curb and write "Free" on it.

Tony, have you ever brought the bag but forgot to bring the dog?

Bluenewt:

If you were to catch said cat crapping in your yard, a shot in the ass from a pellet gun would probably convince him to do so elsewhere. Airsoft rifles and pistols will do the job as well, with just a bit of sting. I've used an airsoft pistol myself with great success. Was sleeping in one Saturday morning, only to dream Neil Peart was on my front lawn playing a drum solo. Woke up to realize it WASN'T Mr. Peart, but a woodpecker who thought my roof's eaves were a good place to do his thing. Grabbed the pistol, opened the door, and popped off a full clip all around him. He left for greener pastures, and I considered the matter settled.

I know of people who've used a .357, but if I can convince animals to crap elsewhere using less lethal methods, I'll use those instead.

Picking up dog doo is important though. If we don't pick it up it all goes into our water supply. Here in Duluth that would be Lake Superior. So I am protecting the lake when I pick it up, even if it is being preserved in the plastic bag which ends up in a landfill.

The issue with Chester Creek is that the steepness of the hills causes the excrement to get washed down into the creek before it gets decomposed, or so goes the theory.  Various woodland creatures would also leave messes too. I am not going to loose any sleep worrying about it.

Funny story, I actually ran by Tony a few weeks ago running up Chester creek, he was walking his dog, which had just left a deposit on or near the trail. For some odd reason, I pointed it out to him so that he, being a responsible dog owner, could take care of the problem.  I hope my comment was taken in the right context.  I was a little tired and not thinking super clearly.

I like TimK's solution.

I am aghast, but of course not surprised that someone would use my trashcan for their s**.  It is just about responsibility. You have a dog, it poops, you know that, then take a bag and YES, carry it home with you. Why would you think you have a right to drop poop just for your convenience?  I see horrible behavior from dogs and owners in Duluth.  I wish the mind-set would change that your dogs have a right to other people's property, trash cans, etc. I pay for my trashcan and only want it used for my trash, please. Stop feeling entitled.

Also people are complaining about other putting dog do in their garbage cans ... would you rather people just left it out?  I am happy when people put do doo in the trash rather than just leave it out.

If your garbage can is in your garage, how are they getting into your garage?

A lot of people violate the the leash law. I only mind if the dog bites me.

There is a dog forum thread, with 136 posts, on the subject of throwing dog feces bags in neighbor trashcans.  The majority thought it was a rude thing to do.

Dogster.com
Is throwing poopy bags in a strangers trash can rude?

It's my understanding that everything that goes to the landfill pretty much gets mummified. When we seal off a "sanitary landfill" we seal out the air and limit the amount of water that can get in. No fresh oxygen = limited ability for decomposers to do their job. People report seeing things like newspapers looking as fresh as the day they were printed 10,20, 30 years on.

Wow, nice article Prof. Cricket.  I have been trying to explain to people for years the concept of a landfill.  So many people insist upon expensive biodegradable disposable products, cups, spoons, plates, bags etc, only to throw them into a landfill, where the never actually degrade.