Dog owners- do you scoop poop in your own yard?

[undertheradar]

So folks who scoop, are picking up a biodegradable item and placing it in....a plastic bag?

Which will take about 500 years to degrade (based on latest guesses)?

Plastic bags are destroying our oceans. And states are starting moves to ban plastic bags. I'm curious, will everyone still pick up poop if you have to put it in a paper sack? I grew up using paper bags and sacks and we left all animal mess to dissolve into the ground. Fascinating how things have changed since the 60s. I can totally see why folks wouldn't want their children stepping in poo. We switched to a no-grain food and the poo has shrunk by a very large volume.

I suggest you research the Mutt Mitts brand. Since conservancy groups throughout the state of California have deemed these as safe for the environment, I am hard pressed to find proof that they are not safe. Large groups like Morro Bay provide these to protect the Earth. We started buying these after the local park district in Ventura County California placed them in dispensers throughout the neighborhood parks. We do not use store bags.

 

[aaarcher86]

My husband does it. Our property backs up to a tree line, which backs up to farm land. We just toss it over the fence into the trees with a pooper scooper.

 

[puffkin]

I think it is beyond disgusting not to pick it up. Our dog passed away this past October, but for 12 years we did it immediately. Only exception was late at night or during a storm, and then we would get it as soon as we could the next day. That is just beyond gross not to clean it up unless you live in the woods or a field or something much more "natural" than a subdivision.

 

[aaarcher86]

Okay...I have a pretty big Boxer at 67 lbs and I seriously never smell his poop in the yard unless I'm right there by it.
I scoop his poop once a week, leave my windows overlooking the backyard open and never notice a smell. DH has a very sensitive nose and doesn't either. I just asked him.

I was thinking the same thing! I don't smell anything when they dooky in the yard.

 

[JanaDee]

I was thinking the same thing! I don't smell anything when they dooky in the yard.

Once it dries, it doesn't smell.

 

[Kae]

Our spring clean up was 5- 5 gallon pails of poo from our two dogs snow never really melted this year between snows. Last year it did so I would run out and scoop before the next snow. We pick up about twice a week before we mow.

Kae

 

[mombrontrent]

I came up with my own name for it and I call it "Doggie Duties", lol.

We call it Doodie Duty

I don't do dog poop and neither do does my DH, it's my kids job. The three of them take turns and we pay them for it. They each do it once a week in the spring to fall so it's picked up every other day or so. The "spring thaw" job pays $40. My daughters decided to split it $20 each One was complaining that the other wasn't doing their fair share so we joked that we would start paying per weight

 

[goofy4tink]

We're lucky. We have a walk out basement, with a 10'x10' concert base run right at the door. It has a 6' chain link fence around it. That's where our golden retriever pees and poops. We scoop it almost immediately and toss it into the woods. We have many friends that just leave it in the lawn...I just can't imagine how they use their yards.

 

[aaarcher86]

Once it dries, it doesn't smell.

I don't smell it right out of the gate either.

I'm not hovering over it or anything, but from my patio door and with my kitchen windows facing the yard open there's no smell.

 

[gemini2727]

We fenced in an area at the back of our yard where our dog is trained to go, so if we don't get to pick it up right away, at least no one is stepping in it! If we let it go too long, he'll refuse to use it, this from a dog who will roll in any filth he can find and happily lick his unmentionables. All of a sudden he has standards?

 

[jt'smom]

So folks who scoop, are picking up a biodegradable item and placing it in....a plastic bag?

Which will take about 500 years to degrade (based on latest guesses)?

Plastic bags are destroying our oceans. And states are starting moves to ban plastic bags. I'm curious, will everyone still pick up poop if you have to put it in a paper sack? I grew up using paper bags and sacks and we left all animal mess to dissolve into the ground. Fascinating how things have changed since the 60s. I can totally see why folks wouldn't want their children stepping in poo. We switched to a no-grain food and the poo has shrunk by a very large volume.

Our bags are biodegradable. I don't know the brand, but they don't even feel like plastic grocery bags.

We did have some neighbors though, who kept some kind of container that they would line with a regular garbage bag and scoop up and just store it in there until the container was full. We always laughed because the bag was so heavy when they would finally change it out, and the bag broke several times resulting in POUNDS of poop falling out!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I suggest you research the Mutt Mitts brand. Since conservancy groups throughout the state of California have deemed these as safe for the environment, I am hard pressed to find proof that they are not safe. Large groups like Morro Bay provide these to protect the Earth. We started buying these after the local park district in Ventura County California placed them in dispensers throughout the neighborhood parks. We do not use store bags.

Interesting. I will look into this myself.

 

[Ambear]

We very rarely scoop and only when hiring people to do work in our yard so they don't step in it. Oh and Halloween, though I consider it retribution for running around someone's yard hah.

The poop rarely smells. In fact I think I notice it more in freezing weather than summer. Winter has very few scents in the air so occasionally a bad poo will smell lol. For like, five minutes.

 

[amandaleigh2]

We have a 100lb golden retriever and scoop at least once a week. I try to get two scoops a week in because if I don't sometimes we can't open the windows next to our side yard without poop smell coming into the house. When I do smell it I feel like a terrible neighbor because it means my neighbors can smell it too! And I'm raising an eyebrow at those of you claiming that your dog's poop doesn't smell. I've never encountered any poop that doesn't smell, canine or otherwise.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

We have a 100lb golden retriever and scoop at least once a week. I try to get two scoops a week in because if I don't sometimes we can't open the windows next to our side yard without poop smell coming into the house. When I do smell it I feel like a terrible neighbor because it means my neighbors can smell it too! And I'm raising an eyebrow at those of you claiming that your dog's poop doesn't smell. I've never encountered any poop that doesn't smell, canine or otherwise.

I didn't say my dog's poo doesn't smell.
I just don't smell it from the yard like others are saying. Like I said in my last post, unless he just went and I'm standing right by it, I don't smell it.

 

[Jennasis]

On a horse farm with 30 horses, dog doo is the least of my concerns. Lol

 

[JanaDee]

We have a 100lb golden retriever and scoop at least once a week. I try to get two scoops a week in because if I don't sometimes we can't open the windows next to our side yard without poop smell coming into the house. When I do smell it I feel like a terrible neighbor because it means my neighbors can smell it too! And I'm raising an eyebrow at those of you claiming that your dog's poop doesn't smell. I've never encountered any poop that doesn't smell, canine or otherwise.

We have a neighbor with two dogs (a corgi and husky). They scoop once a week and I've never once smelled dog poop through my open windows.

 

[Gracie09]

We have one medium size dog. About half the time she goes in the backyard. The other half she goes during her walk. We pick it up as we see it. (we are not always there watching her in the backyard). In the spring/summer/fall I try to do a loop around her favorite spots to make sure there is nothing there when the kids play.

 

[nkereina]

OP, do you live in my neighborhood?! LOL - we also live in a new development with HOA rules, and our nextdoor neighbor also have two large dogs and is very lazy about picking up poop!

We don't have a fence and neither does our neighbor but their dog has pooped on our side of the property line more than once. I take a shovel and gently toss it onto their side of the property line, mostly so we don't run it over with our mower. Because then it tracks into the garage where we keep our mower, which does stink it up.

In your situation, would it be hard or weird for you to take a shovel and just push it away from the fence so it's a few feet away from your property line? Not ideal but maybe will help if it does smell or become visible.

 

[Kbee]

Speaking of biodegradable disposable bags....Ramani Narayana ,chemical engineer and developer of such is quoted as saying "Usually, nothing biodegrades in a landfill. But if biodegradable plastics do break down in this oxygen-free environment, they'll emit methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than CO2." Honestly, dog doo breaks down fast, It dries out and goes away. It's nature. Your backyard is filled with poo from birds, chipmunks, squirrels etc. We don't scoop and then place the poo into some sort of bag which then goes into a land fill. We let nature take its course and the poo dries out. Our yard has zero smell and I'm a very picky smeller. And we have two large dogs.

https://www.skepticalscience.com/methane-and-global-warming.htm