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Grr...Do not eat while reading

Don't know if this is the right place to post but here it goes. So I was just out walking my dog and she was mostly peeing until we went  up to this one house with a buch of crap in the front yard. I thought she was going to pee some more, but she pooped. Then someone next door yelled "You need to pick up that dog poop and keep your dog at home!". I freaked out and ran. I do not want to pick up other peoples dogs poop, but I don't want like the cops coming to my house to tell me to pick up dog crap.

I'll pick up that one that my dog did but not the others! Just don't want anyone else shouting at me. And now I'm scared to leave the house.

Ps. My dog usually poops in our yard on the way back from the walk.

P.P.S, Okay, its not in the right thread.

Dog feces carries bacteria that can cause blindness in young children. That is one of the many reasons that cleaning up after your dog is so important. The judicious use of a plastic bag is all it takes. Where I live they are offered free by the City...and yet many people are just too lazy to bother.

Are you talking about toxoplasmosis? I knew cats carried it, but I didn't know if dogs did.

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Dog feces carries bacteria that can cause blindness in young children. That is one of the many reasons that cleaning up after your dog is so important. The judicious use of a plastic bag is all it takes. Where I live they are offered free by the City...and yet many people are just too lazy to bother.

Are you talking about toxoplasmosis? I knew cats carried it, but I didn't know if dogs did.

From eating the poop?

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Dog feces, just like human feces, can carry a whole variety of bacteria as well as parasites. Dogs don't use toilets, so whatever they drop can affect the area where it falls for surprisingly long periods of time. If the dog's feces is left on soil/grass, it can transfer worms such as Heartworm, Hookworm, Hydatids,and  Roundworm that will stay active in that soil for years. People of all ages are at risk from these.

Dog feces is also known to contain bacteria and coliforms that can cause any or all of the following:
Campylobacteriosis
Leptospirosis
Salmonellosis
E-Coli
Brucellosis
Giardiasis
Cryptosporidium

I thnk Crypto is the one responsible for subconjunctival haemorrage,if I remember correctly, particularly in small children or those with weak immune systems. Small kids particularly are not careful about what they touch, where it's been, or washing their hands before they touch eyes, nose or mouth. OK, so they probably won't pick up the poop, but if there's crap there and they drop a toy that comes into contact with it...It only takes a moment to dispose of your dog's poop properly. Caring for a dog includes cleaning up its mess.

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Dog feces carries bacteria that can cause blindness in young children. That is one of the many reasons that cleaning up after your dog is so important. The judicious use of a plastic bag is all it takes. Where I live they are offered free by the City...and yet many people are just too lazy to bother.

Are you talking about toxoplasmosis? I knew cats carried it, but I didn't know if dogs did.

There used to be more cases of "toxoplasma" in dogs, which turned out to actually be Neospora caninum; they look very similar. Neospora can be transmitted to cows (and back to dogs), and can be a cause of abortion in cows, but as far as I know it doesn't affect humans. They tried experimentally infected pregnant primates (not sure which, and as awful as that sounds), and it did infect the fetus. But, no human cases have been reported. Still, because Neospora is fairly new, it's possible that it was also mistaken for Toxoplasma. However (again), they've been testing for antibodies against Neospora (as evidence for infection) for a number of years now, and there's nothing convincing that there are human cases.
But Toxoplasma can infect dogs. As far as I know, it's less common.

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I am learning so much about poop lately.  Who knew.

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For the reason yabbit cited feces should not go into a compost.
Especially if you are going to handle it.

I almost got into a fight with a angry man that wanted me to pick up after my dog,
he did not believe me that she only peed. Which she clearly only squatted.

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Yeah, I think it's rude not to pick up after your dog if s/he poops anywhere somebody might walk or anywhere on someone else's property.  If you're worried about the biodegradable/nonbiodegradable factor, there are a few things you can do (if you have the means):

http://www.poopbags.com/
http://www.plantea.com/dog-waste-compost.htm
http://www.doggiedooley.com/

If the composting doesn't work for you, you could also bring it home and flush it down the toilet.

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Yes, you really should pick up the poop. It's not fair to homeowners who have no pets. The dog across the street used to always come into our yard and poop. I'm just thinking that my kid is going to step in that! Or pick it up and play with it. Not cool.....and I'm glad that Yabbit brought up the bacteria stuff, because I've done a lot of reading on compost, and dog (nor human) poop should be used in it. I wish it could be though!

although, maybe a vegan dog's poo would be better fertilizer? Maybe that has never been taken into consideration.

Flushing is the same as flushing human poop. But it all does end up in landfills. It doesn't just disappear! But that's our modern system.

My cat pooped in the family room and Lyle picked it up today. So yeah, it happens. And is not cool. lol

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I should point out that the dog waste composting I linked to above is not for use on your garden.  It's more of a septic system.

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I pick up after Bella..... all the time.  It pisses me off that other people where I live don't pick up after theirs.  Nothing is worse than stepping in a giant pile of dog shit. >:(

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I'm not composting right now (boooo!), but I've always wondered if you could compost a vegan dog's (or a vegan human's) poop. I used to compost my mouse bedding.

I have biodegradable bags to pick up Oliver's poop, although I'm sure they do take muuuuuch longer to break down than just the poop alone.

Thanks to all you responsible dog owners out there. Why can't we all just live together in a clean sidewalk area????

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The population density of domesticated animals is MUCH greater than animals in nature.  

~20% of fecal coliform bacteria in waterways is from domestic dogs.  Considering that each gram of dog poop contains 23 million fecal coliform colonies, that's a lot of bacteria!  Water that goes into storm drains doesn't go through a treatment process, it goes directly to a channel, creek, or lake.   If it enters water where there is body contact recreation, it could cause illness.  Dogs can also carry viruses and parasites.  In context, somewhere in the range of 200 to 400 MPN fecal coliforms/100 ml of water will get you a beach closure.

Waste also adds nutrients to the water and can contribute to algal blooms, which can result in eutrophication and fish kills.

Plus, it's just plain gross to see people leaving their dog's crap on the ground.  There's a reason people don't drop their pants and take a dump on the ground (except, perhaps, for whomever makes piles in the alley I walk through to get to my parking structure - I work where there are a lot of homeless people).

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I'm not composting right now (boooo!), but I've always wondered if you could compost a vegan dog's (or a vegan human's) poop. I used to compost my mouse bedding.

You can, but it takes about a year to compost.  At Humboldt State, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology used a composting toilet.  You let it sit in one chamber for about six months and the shovel it over to another chamber for another six months.

http://www.humboldt.edu/~slh72/mainpage.html

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This is such a great thread.

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Yes, you really should pick up the poop. It's not fair to homeowners who have no pets. The dog across the street used to always come into our yard and poop. I'm just thinking that my kid is going to step in that! Or pick it up and play with it. Not cool.....and I'm glad that Yabbit brought up the bacteria stuff, because I've done a lot of reading on compost, and dog (nor human) poop should be used in it. I wish it could be though!

although, maybe a vegan dog's poo would be better fertilizer? Maybe that has never been taken into consideration.

Flushing is the same as flushing human poop. But it all does end up in landfills. It doesn't just disappear! But that's our modern system.

My cat pooped in the family room and Lyle picked it up today. So yeah, it happens. And is not cool. lol

It's so interesting that I agree with you on all of your points, but I come to a very different conclusion in the end. I guess I don't think it's a matter of fairness to a particular individual, but rather a matter of what is fair for the whole of life on this planet. When I consider all of the consequences of my dog's poop decomposing on someone's lawn (bacteria and all) versus the consequences of me picking it up (even with a biodegradable bag) and tossing it into the nearest landfill, I'd rather take my chances with the bacteria and possibility of accidentally stepping in it later. The sponge in my kitchen sink and toilet seat I sit on are also home to a wide range of nasty critters, but the likelihood of me getting sick from my very limited contact with them is extremely low. For the most part, I think the revulsion human beings feel towards feces keeps the risks of contracting e coli from their neighbor's pet droppings under control. Let us not forget, a few hundred years ago our ancestors would never have dreamed of picking up animal droppings. In many areas of the world, HUMAN BEINGS were burying their poop behind the nearest tree!

Like I said though... I follow the rules. I have my personal opinion on the matter, but I've chosen to live in an apartment complex in the city and abide by regulations. Still, if it were up to me, I'd do away with requirements to pick up your animals' crap. One possible alternative would be to designate certain grassy areas where people do not generally trod around for pets to do their business. It might get out of control in an overpopulated area, but it would certainly be an option for many residential areas.

On a lighter note...I was very tempted to pull up thesaurus.com to do a query for synonyms for poop! I resisted the urge. Not sure I want to expand my vocabulary in that area... Plus, with threads like this, who needs a thesaurus?  :-D

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Like I said though... I follow the rules. I have my personal opinion on the matter, but I've chosen to live in an apartment complex in the city and abide by regulations. Still, if it were up to me, I'd do away with requirements to pick up your animals' crap. One possible alternative would be to designate certain grassy areas where people do not generally trod around for pets to do their business. It might get out of control in an overpopulated area, but it would certainly be an option for many residential areas.

If everyone was like you, it'd be fine.  You don't personally believe in it, but you follow the rules.  Cities spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on public relations trying to convince people to pick it up, which is money they could use filling potholes or keeping libraries open longer or whathaveyou.  Poop is an environmental pollutant and cities are responsible to the feds to reduce or minimize the exposure of pollutants to the environment to the maximum extent practicable.  Although I think increasing the penalties up the wazoo for not picking it up would be more effective than radio commercials.  Or maybe mandating dog licensing with a surcharge to pay city staff to pick it up for people, in addition to a mandatory pick-up ordinance.

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So New Shoes, do you bury your own poop and not flush it, because then it does end up in the landfill. ;)
If not, then the suggestion of flushing your dog's poop might be more in line with your values.

I totally appreciate looking at the world vs. the individual, but a 1 year old doesn't have revulsions toward anything yet. He would pick it up, put it near his mouth, and possibly get sick. I shouldn't have to worry about this in my own yard.

A few hundred years ago (thousand?), dogs weren't domesticated yet and living in cities.

Glad you follow the rules though! :)

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No one seems to care about kitteh poo.

I guess it's impossible to regulate.

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Really, nobody follows around outside  cats to pick up their poo.

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Really, nobody follows around outside  cats to pick up their poo.

Look in kiddy sandboxes and under houses. My father excused his hatred of cats because as a plumber he often had to crawl under people's porches, only to discover that all the cats in the surrounding area had been using the space as a litterbox. Cats like privacy and dirt to poo in so it follows.

No one seems to care about kitteh poo.

I guess it's impossible to regulate.

Lots of cats have litterboxes inside the homes they live in. Instant regulation.
I have seen many Spanish people try unsucessfully to train dogs to use litterboxes. And they keep wondering why it doesn't work. Different animal, different instincts.

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