Do you need a bag for that?
By kerc on Jul 16, 2010 in Bitching
My dog happens to be the least alpha dog there is. He barks rarely. In fact when I got him from Animal Allies I wondered if he had been de-barked because he didn’t bark for 3 days. This morning he barked at something out the front door window.
I went over to look, thinking it could be a delivery person or something. Turns out it is someone who let their dog poop in my front yard and then was walking away from it, not picking it up. I turned on my Minnesota, passive aggressive self, “Excuse me do you need a bag or shovel to help pick that up? I’ve got a trash can right here you can put it in.” (point to trowel and trashcan literally feet from where she is).
Reminder dog owners: pick it up. If you happen to come by my house, feel free to use the doggie trash can perched in the front yard. That’s what it is there for.
That “shit” drives me nuts! My house seems to be on a major dog walking thoroughfare and “it” happens all the time. I love dogs, but sometimes absolutely hate dog owners. It’s so easy to just bring along a doggie bag…sheesh.
I want to click the “like” button on this post!
Dog owners can be the WORST! They often don’t pick up after themselves in all the Duluth parks. I took a long walk with friends last week and passed about 10 nice ones.
Here was an especially nice gift. After my trash was pickup last week, some nice dog owner put a nice bag of dog crap in my trashcan. I didn’t notice it at first, but I sure did a few days later when it started smelling like warmed-over 3-day-old dog crap!
Thanks for using my trashcan instead of your trashcan, evil dog owner! I hope you answer for your dog crap crimes in the afterlife!
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.
My neighbors’ cats crap in my vegetable garden. It’s illegal in Duluth to let a cat run loose, but it’s just not enforced at all. I love cats, but cat crap contains toxins and I’d rather not find it among the tomato plants.
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
Quick poll: Once I’ve picked up my dog’s crap and tied the bag shut, is it ok for me to drop the bag into someone else’s trash can?
Reading Sam’s post above, we already have one vote for “no.”
On any given evening, there are always a fair number of trash cans at the side of the street in my neighborhood. So when I pick up my dog’s crap, instead of carrying it with me for a mile back to my house, I will drop it in the nearest trash can. And if I see someone pick up after their dog by my house, I will actually tell them that they can go ahead and drop the bag in my trash.
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 secretly love the face they make: that quick assessment of their surroundings, the murmured word of encouragement for speed while the expert, what — picks the lock? Plants the bomb?? That dripping, combined look of el hombre compuesto, guilt and relief. Hello. Nothing. Nothing. That was nothing. Move along. Moving along.
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.
Cynic, A problem for me is that I work in my garage in the summer, but that is where the trashcan lives. Last week I thought something died in my garage, only to find that a dog terd was living in the warm trashcan getting really ripe. Opening that hot trashcan was a olfactory experience I’ll never forget!
On the spot, I went through Kubler Ross’s 5 stages of dying…
1. Depression: Om my god, why me! It smells so bad!
2. Anger: Who in the heck did this to me!
3. Bargaining: Kids, I’ll give you a year of allowance if you clean this trashcan out!
4. Denial: No, this is not my trashcan! It can’t be!
5. Acceptance: I guess I’ll have to clean the trashcan out myself so it doesn’t smell.
Also, our family doesn’t put any decompostable waste into our trash for a few reasons. First, it smells after a few days, and second, it creates a lot of methane gas if left in an anaerobic environment (like a landfill). So, IMHO, we shouldn’t put dog waste in trashcans at all, but I’m sure to be in the minority on that one.
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.
New dogowner here: I have heartily wished to rid myself of the warm bag of stink many a time, with so many full garbage cans along my route. However, I have not so dared. I have noticed that if you’re on a big trek, leaving the bag on a corner to pick up on your return route is acceptable.
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’m happy if my neighbors don’t crap in my yard.
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?)
If you forget the bag, turnaround and go back.
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.
Heidi, you know I love you, but… if you don’t want to carry the poop about…
I would be so irritated if I found a bag of poop on my streetcorner. Unless you leave a business card with your name and “I’ll get this later,” I would presume it abandoned. Maybe another dog owner would “get the code,” but I would not!
Leave the bag on the curb and write “Free” on it.
Put it in a box, cover with wrapping paper. Place in back seat of vehicle. Park at the mall and leave doors unlocked.
Tony, have you ever brought the bag but forgot to bring the dog?
Sometimes, our garbage service only takes the single, whole bags individually out of your can, especially if it is just one bag. If you put a small bag with dog poop in the can, it sometimes gets left behind. Then I have to pick up the dog poop and place it in a trash bag for next week’s pick up. So gross!
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.
This thread just went from frustrating dog poo stories to shooting at poor, innocent animals.
I’m pretty sure shooting at these animals violates every hunting rule I’ve ever heard of.
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.
I figured someone might get themselves in an uproar over what I wrote.
I keep an Airsoft pistol around for use in convincing animals that their time might be better spent elsewhere. I don’t shoot directly at the animals, either. Usually a couple pellets over their heads gets the point across. A couple years ago, we had a stray cat who liked using our porch as his litterbox. A few rounds from the pistol convinced him to go elsewhere.
Airsoft pistols shoot a 6mm plastic BB. They won’t penetrate a pop can, let alone flesh. They will sting, though. I shot myself with one to see how bad it hurt. Stung, but that’s about it.
I always prefer less than lethal methods, as I prefer to not kill anything if I don’t have to. The Airsoft pistol works for me.
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.
No worries, Shane! Sometimes the dogs do their business out of site of their owners, so we may indeed need notice.
I like TimK’s solution.
Please post your favorite dogshitting spot. I’ll walk my dog over so that he too can enjoy your favorite place.
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.
I left two comments on here but for some reason they haven’t shown up.
It is important to pick up feces because there are way more pets living per square mile then would be if left to the natural wilds. The excrement washes into our creeks, lake and we end up paying to have our water cleaned…or pay with getting sick.
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?
Guess it must be an awfully long leash if the dogs are crapping out of sight of their owners.
A lot of people violate the the leash law. I only mind if the dog bites me.
Not everyone keeps their garbage can in a garage. Some keep it next to the garage in an alley. Some leave it out for the day on trash day. Some people don’t have a garage at all. But just because it is out doesn’t make it public property.
Plus, poop in the summer can really stink. I don’t think I’m the only one who doesn’t like the smell of 5-day-old poop.
And if the poop bag breaks when other trash gets thrown on top, I have to clean it. Not fun. Not ok.
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?
The whole compostable idea brings to mind the huge pile (non-stinky, thanks) of dog crap that we have collected from our own dogs in our yard. Presumably someday it will go away, but in the meantime, how do we get rid of it?
If you’re really concerned about it, you could evacuate it to the sanitary sewer system via the toilet in your housing unit. [If your beloved dog had the charming habit of repairing to the basement to deposit his waste products, you might already be doing this.]
So today my mom went back to her old habit. Picking up my poo in a bag and walking back home to dump it in the toilet.
Poo wrapped in plastic going to the landfill only gets mummified.
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.
Yes, everything gets mummified. You can see I story I wrote about it here:
Landfills: protection by storage
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.
Not only do dog poop bags come in handy when you’re on a walk, but they can also be convenient for cleaning up in your own yard.
Having a dog waste bag can make cleaning up easy, no matter what the poop is like. It’s as simple as putting your hand in the bag and picking it up with your protected hand, then tying the bag shut and tossing it in your garbage.
Thanks for sharing,
Reference:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joel_Solano