Tuesday, March 09, 2010

The Straight Poop

As a dog owner I am sensitive to the complaints about people who don’t pick up after their dogs. It only takes one recalcitrant dog owner to smear the rest of us who take our dog dooty seriously. When someone sees poop in their yard and they don’t own a dog, they cast a judgmental eye towards every dog owner in the hood.

Not surprisingly, some dog owners actually think its okay not to pick up after their pooch. In his column in The Washington Post today, John Kelly wrote about “an air of defiance among those who responded to my request that they explain why they don't pick up their dog's messes.”

“I never have [picked up poop] and here's why. I live in a D.C. suburb with plenty of woods around. My dog has been trained to go off the trail in the woods to do her business, where rain and bacteria and bugs dispose of this natural product in an ecologically sound manner. Where do people think all those plastic bags go? Into our environment, to virtually never decay.”

Not so fast. John points out that recent testing of Accotink Creek by the U.S. Geological Survey revealed “dog waste accounted for 15 percent of the E. coli in the stream.”

And the plastic bags?

There are biodegradable poop bags a pet owner can purchase for as little as three cents a bag.

No more excuses.

15 comments:

Tom Coale (HCR) said...

Amen to that. Reminds me of Kahuna 2.0 where my lazy neighbor took his dog out to poop in my shoveled out pathway.

Anonymous said...

Poop Haiku:

Picking up dog poop
makes my gag reflex go off
because of the smell.

Hayduke's Ghost said...

I'm pretty sure "Pick up your dog's poop" is the 11th commandment. If not, it should be.

(Full disclosure: I enjoy doing it as much as I enjoy a root canal, but seriously, buck up, folks.)

Trevor said...

As a dentist, I am offended by your root canal comment. You obviously need to have me do your root canals in the future (I do them painlessly). Obama made a root canal comment like that in the State of the Union a couple months ago, and my fellow dentists and I were quite perturbed.

(Full disclosure: I would much rather get a root canal than pick up poop. That is the #1 reason I do not have a dog)

Freemarket said...

The Howard County Police have shot and killed two dogs during botched raids in the last three years. Also, they are not talking to the public about it. Just sayin'.

Unknown said...

Oh yeah, because the bacteria that decomposes your dog's poop is so healthy and natural. There aren't ever parasites, viruses, or disease-causing bacteria in there. And even if there were, its not like there could be ANY way that it would spread from the little piles off the trail. It isn't like a passing wild animal wouldn't find a pile of domestic, table-scrap-fed dog poo to be a delicious feast.

wordbones said...

and then there's that...

-wb

Anonymous said...

Striking deep into the hearta of dog owners, poop-picker-uppers, Libertarians, environmental scientists, and even dentists, ALL ACROSS HOWARD COUNTY!

Where else can one find scintillating reading like this about the place we live?!

And, there's even Haiku.

I have to admit, I don't pick up my dog's poop. Then again, he only poops in my yard, a heavily-wooded acre. And usually he poops right on top of my dry well, which is fed by and disseminates the contents of my septic tank.

Let me tell you, it's where the grass always grows greener.

jessiex said...

I have never understood people who have dogs and don't pick up the poop. Sure, it's kinda gross, but it comes with the territory of having a dog in the city or burbs.

My main complaint about, besides the #incivility of it all, is the bacteria and nematodes. http://www.doodycalls.com/resources_toxic_dog_waste.asp

And I have my own pet peeve, so to speak about people who put their shoes on shared spaces, such as coffee tables at a cafe or on the backs of chairs at movie theaters.

My mind sees the nematodes in the poop, left by the dog owner who didn't pick their dog's poop up, transferred to the bottom of someone's shoe, then that shoe being placed recklessly on a space someone else is *highly* like to put their hands on. Hands touch faces/mouths/eyes/nostrils.

Blech.

Anonymous said...

How did we survive this long! I remember when there were no seatbelts in my parents' station wagon and the dog rolled in poop and then got in the car and rolled on the seats and we just drove home like nothing happened, standing up and holding onto the dashboard as we looked at the road ahead!

All this, while we smoke Lucky Strikes at the age of ten!

Nematodes, indeed.

Anonymous said...

Man, that's just gross. I don't know what a nematode is, but picking up dog poop is not new to this generation. Growing up, my family had dogs, and my dad was very conscientious about picking up poop in both our yard and anywhere else our dog chose to deposit a treat.

Unknown said...

Populations have gotten denser, demographics have changed, and last but by no means least the food production and distribution system of our country has changed a huge amount. All of these have affected what's in your dog's poop! And certainly what's in the local deer population's poop!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry. You've gone to far. Bambi doesn't poop. I am offended that anyone would suggest that Bambi poops.
HH

Unknown said...

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

Vince said...

I am really enjoying and feel confident to walk with my dog now. With a disposal biodegradable bag fixed onto my handy poo collecting device, I can easily extend the bag to the location needed just in time to collect the poo before it dropped onto the ground.
I kept my device in my walking bag for ready to settle this business