How to Properly Scoop Poop

To bag or not to bag - that is the question:
Whether 'tis more tolerable in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outraged fellow citizens
Or to carry bags against the potential piles
And by scooping end them.

Back in the days of Shakespeare, most dogs, with the notable exceptions of pampered toy breeds belonging to wealthy merchant families and nobles, roamed at will (apologies, couldn't help myself there) and did what came naturally wherever it happened. It wasn't that big a deal, since humans were tossing slop jars out of upstairs windows, jettisoning that natural stuff down onto the streets - and the unlucky heads of passersby, and it might not have been a big surprise to find yourself in the midst of a conversation and find yourself standing at the edge of a puddle spreading from underneath a voluminous skirt.

That won't fly today.

We're urbanized and sanitized - plagues are down and indoor plumbing is all the rage. And so is picking up after your dog. Not a bad idea considering the potential nasties inherent in fecal matter, coliform, E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter, streptococcus, and don't forget the wigglies: roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms, oh my! Besides, it's annoying to have to clean the stuff out of the treads on your athletic shoes. There are a myriad of products and methods out there to ease the pain and alleviate some of the natural "ewwww" factor of handling warm, fresh dog doo.

Simplest and cheapest is sticking a couple of those plastic grocery bags or produce bags in your pocket and, after filling, dropping it in the nearest trash container. There are some folks, though, who don't appreciate other people making deposits in their personal curbside trash containers, though, so bear that in mind. Kind of like the way your dog doesn't like it when another dog pees in his territory. And no, if someone reams you out for plopping your bag of dog poop in their trash can, it is never acceptable to come back later with that bag of poop (or any other such container), set it on their doorstep, light it, and ring the doorbell.

If you're in a dog park, you will probably find receptacles specifically for those deposits, and some towns and cities provide them at intervals along areas with significant dog walking traffic. Some parks and walking routes will even have dispensers with bags. Waste disposal bags are marketed in an abundance of sizes and configurations, scented and unscented, aesthetically colored, translucent (although, why anyone would want that baggage to be visible is beyond me) or austerely opaque. More importantly, they are now available in biodegradable form. There has always been something awry in the concept of bagging up something that is completely biodegradable in something that will exist in a landfill for a few hundred generations.

You can even outfit your dog in a utility vest, complete with pockets to hold the bags in waiting. It's not recommended that you try letting your dog carry the full bag in a pocket or on a clip, though. Some dogs just love to roll in stinky stuff, plus there is always that chance that there will be a dog - or pack of dogs running at large and they'll find that bag of scent your dog is trundling along with an irresistible lure.

"Curbing" was once the method of considerate dog owners; teaching their dogs to do their business in the street gutter and letting it make its way down to the sewers. Unfortunately, particularly in places where there is a high dog population, this can seriously affect the quality of the groundwater, and those bacterial and parasitic pollutants mentioned earlier leach into the soil as well.

Some people just can't stomach the idea of handling the stuff, even through a plastic bag. For them, a "pooper scooper" is an option. It's not as easily carried as the baggies, as it's a scoop or some type of modified shovel apparatus at the end of a handle, but you definitely won't have to bend over and get up close and personal with the poo.

One of the most effective ways to ensure that you don't have excessive waste to clean up, after when you walk your dog is to feed a high quality diet of easily and thoroughly digestible ingredients. The old phrase, "garbage in; garbage out" holds true for our dogs, and it could be accurately amended to say, "garbage in; lots of garbage out."

This article was provided by the people at Discount Pet Mall: Check out their website to find Pet Doors.