According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the current U.S. dog population tops out somewhere near 80 million. When you consider that a musher with an average-sized kennel of 20 sled dogs generates more than 2 tons of dog feces annually*, the waste generated by 80 million dogs must equal a Mount Everest-sized pile of manure. Doggie dung is harmless, even useful, if disposed of properly. If not, it creates health-related risks for humans and problems for the environment.
The Risks to Human Health
Most dog lovers are in denial about their dog's poo. They tend to think of it as just another natural fertilizer. It's not. Dog feces contain the same bacteria as human waste, as well as any number of disease causing organisms like:
These pathogens are directly transferable to humans (especially children) when we touch an object that has been contaminated with feces (like touching contaminated chew toys, or when cleaning poo off of our shoes) and then we inadvertently touch our mouths with our hands.
When it rains, thousands of pounds of pet waste (and the bacteria and pathogens they contain) wash down storm drains and into city sewer systems. The water in these sewer systems don't go through a wastewater treatment plant, instead, it runs directly into local waterways. Once in the waterway, fecal matter decomposes, using up oxygen and releasing pollutants. Ammonia levels can kill off fish and other aquatic organisms. The nitrogen and phosphorus released causes excessive growth of aquatic weeds and algae, which turns the water a murky green color and blocks out light to the plants below.
Bag It
Bags are the easiest and most obvious solution to cleaning up your dog's waste. Keep a stash of bags in your car, your coat pocket, and clip a small coin purse full of them to your dog's collar. Out for a walk and forget your bags? No problem. You can find pet valets stocked full of plastic bags in nearly every park and trail head in the world.
Flush It
Dog feces can be collected and flushed down the toilet. The problem used to be that dumping doggie doo doo into the toilet from plastic bags was messy. Now there are flushable bags made of polyvinyl alcohol film designed to dissolve in water, leaving only the contents of the bag (your dog's poo) behind.
Digest It
Let waste break down using a pet waste composting system like the "Doggie Dooley". These systems work just like miniature septic systems, using enzymes full of live organisms to break down waste. Once the system is dug into the ground, a foot-operated lid makes it easy to drop in pet waste. Add water and digester powder and before you know it, your dog's waste is reduced to a harmless, ground absorbing liquid. There's no need to spend big bucks on a store-bought system. Follow this link for photo instruction on how to make your own.Add chopped yard waste (green and brown) to speed up the process. The finished compost can then be used on ornamentals, just not on food crops.
Hire a Poo Crew
Believe it or not, some folks are willing to pick up where your dog "left off." For a small fee, poo crews will come to your home once a week and pick up your dog's doody (some offer litter box services, too). With names like Poopfairies, DoodyCalls, and Dr. Poolittle, who can resist? To find a service in your area, call local breeders, veterinarians, or animal shelters. The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists also has a website where you can search by state, but the results may not list all of the service providers available in your area. http://www.apaws.org/
*USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Disposing of dog waste. Any suggestions?
Holly from Richardson, TX
We use a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Put in a grocery sack, (that don't have holes in the bottom) and deposit the waste in it during the week, keeping the lid on. Then on garbage day just tie the handles and put out for the garbage man and put in a new grocery sack.
You can throw it away, or flush it down the toilet or bury it or throw into the woods. It is biodegradeable. :)
I knew a man who had two small house dogs. In his back yard, he started at one side, digging a narrow trench about a foot deep. He threw the waste in there (it was along the edge of a flower bed) and buried it.
I suggest using it as fertilizer in your flower bed or garden. It makes great fertilizer if composted or buried. Why buy something you dont need to buy when you can get it for free? lol
I see someone else has posted about a man who buried it and then sold nightcrawlers. Worms only come to good soil. So you know it is a good idea.
Best of luck.
This is a page about composting dog waste. If composted properly, dog waste can be added to your garden.
