Posts tagged "dog poop"

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife, Anna, adopted as a puppy in late 2009.

When and where dogs do their business has become a highly controversial subject in this column. First things first: Contrary to the insinuations of some of our frequent commenters, we always pick up after Pippi. But the concern about people picking up after their pets is common among many people -- pet owners and non-pet owners alike -- who wish others would practice better puppy peeing etiquette. This becomes even more of an issue during the winter, when snow everywhere means there's nowhere for the droppings to hide.

Here in Northern New Jersey, we've had a couple of feet of snow on the ground since the day after Christmas, and it poses a challenge when we're walking Pippi. There's really nowhere convenient for her to go. And so, when she has to pee, she sometimes goes right in the middle of the sidewalk -- although usually on a snowy or icy patch, rather than right on the concrete. Is this gross? I realize some folks may not enjoy walking across yellow patches, but it usually soaks in pretty quickly.

Nobody likes finding random piles of dog poop on their nicely manicured lawn, but one man in Annapolis, Md., has taken action against it. Jim Miller has posted two large banners, along with a few smaller signs, notifying his neighbors that they should be ashamed of themselves for allowing their dogs to defecate in his yard, reports Greater Annapolis Patch.

Though some neighbors commend Miller's actions, not everyone is lining up to pat him on the back. Patch received an anonymous tip that some members of the community felt the signs, which features graphic images of dog poo and adult language, was too vulgar for the neighborhood children. And, perhaps even more importantly, someone filed a case with the county's planning and zoning office. A county spokesperson told the Patch that Miller's signs are technically on county property (even though Miller maintains the area) and that they'll have to come down.

Where do you land on this debate? Does Miller have a right to take a stand, or should he be going about this in a different way? Check out the full story at Greater Annapolis Patch and then let us know what you think.

What does your dog do when you visit the dog park? Run, play, sniff? There's one other thing, based on our vast experience, that we're willing to bet they do during most visits to the park... But now, with the help of the Park Spark Project, launched by artist Matthew Mazzotta, a dog park in Cambridge, Mass. has found an innovative (and very eco-friendly) way to recycle the waste your dog leaves behind -- an on-site methane digester.

The concept is simple. People put dog poop into an air-tight container and it begins to produce methane, an odorless, colorless gas that is a major part of the natural gas many of us use in our homes. The methane is then piped into a street lamp that continues to burn as long as park visitors and dog walkers dump the doo into the digester and turn the hand crank to stir the mixture. (We recommend you try not to picture that part in too much detail.) The goal of this interactive project is to not only show how dog waste can be recycled into something practical, but to also spark ideas about other ways to use the heat and light created by the poop that had been filling up nearby trash cans.

If you live in Cambridge, be sure to check out the park yourself and support the project. But you can get involved regardless of where you live. Check out the Park Spark Project on Facebook or click on the contact link on the Park Spark Project website to submit your ideas or ask for details on how to help your city to give the Park Spark Challenge a try!

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009.

Anna wrote this week's column.

Ben and I may live in the suburbs, but we don't have our own enclosed yard for Pippi to do her business. Instead, we give her plenty of walks around the neighborhood, to give her the opportunity for what I like to call her "daily constitutionals."

Ben is pretty disciplined about keeping Pippi on the sidewalk, but I often let her sniff around front lawns, under hedges and along tree-trunks. She just seems to love being outside so much; her tail whips to and fro when she finds a scent she likes!

Sometimes, nature calls when Pippi's in someone's yard. Considering I quickly swoop in to pick it up with a plastic bag, however, I never really thought of this as a nuisance. Until last week, that is. Pippi had just eliminated on the curb a few minutes earlier, when a woman from next door began pulling out of her driveway.

Betty White Gets Two-Book Deal
The "Hot in Cleveland" actress has inked a deal to write two books for G. P. Putnam's Sons., reports USA Today. The first, due out next year, is titled "Listen Up!" and will be filled with observations and lessons learned. But it's the second book we can't wait to get our paws on. "The Zoo and I: Betty and Her Friends" will feature White's stories and pictures at the Los Angeles Zoo, where she's a longtime member of the board. The second book is set to publish in 2012.

Want Dog Owners to Pick Up After Their Pooches? Spray Paint The Poo
An unusual plan to encourage dog owners to properly dispose of their pets' waste appears to be working in Poole, Dorset, England, reports BBC News. After close to 200 piles of dog doo were found in an alley near Poole High School, workers spray painted the problematic waste a bright green to draw attention to the mess and shock the owners into picking them up. So far, the plan seems to be working.

Teen Banned From Playing Basketball With Service Dog
A teenager in Chicago has been denied the chance to play basketball in the Special Olympics because her service dog will not be allowed on the court, reports the Chicago Tribune. The 17-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, uses her trained service dog to carry around a four-pound oxygen tank, but the Illinois Special Olympics President said they had to make their ruling based on the safety of everyone involved, and, apparently, a service dog on the court was deemed unsafe. This game is just beginning, however; a local advocacy group has filed a lawsuit on the girl's behalf.

Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Carrie Ann Inaba and Five Cats to be on "Housecat Housecall" This Saturday
"Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba's passion extends far beyond the dance floor. She and her fiance own five cats, three that belonged to her and two that were his before he moved in. Inaba and her pretty kitties will be featured on "Housecat Housecall presented by Purina Cat Chow" on Animal Planet. The show's host, Dr. Katrina Warren, will be helping the couple figure out how to successfully integrate all these different purr-sonalities, reports the New York Daily News.

North Carolina Passes Animal Cruelty Law
Senators in North Carolina voted unanimously to pass a new law that will allow judges to put an animal abuser behind bars for up to 10 years, reports News 14 Carolina. The law has been dubbed Susie's Law to honor a Greensboro puppy that was beaten and set on fire a year ago. She survived, barely, but under the current law, the abuser could receive only probation. Assuming the governor signs it into law, Susie's Law will go into effect Dec. 1.


Dollars in Dog Poo
If you saw money sticking out of a pile of dog doo, would you take it? Pet-waste-removal worker Steve Wilson not only did that, he also sanitized the doody dollars and gave them back to the rightful owner, reports AOL News. The value of the slightly chewed bills returned? $58. The story, however, is priceless.

It's not often that being a responsible pet owner is profitable, but some dog owners in Ithaca, N.Y. have found a way to make that happen (and clean up their dog park in the process).

The Tompkins County Dog Owner Group has teamed up with Cayuga Compost to find a useful solution for all the poo left behind in the city's dog park, reports the Associated Press. Considering some 50,000 dogs visit the park throughout the year (leaving about 1,000 pounds of waste monthly), it only made sense that the group not only wanted to find the best way to rid the park of the waste, but make money doing it.

Leon Kochian, a spokesman for TC DOG (the not-for-profit volunteer group involved in funding the project), biology professor at Cornell University and owner of a yellow Labrador retriever, told the Associated Press, "There was a large Dumpster at the park, and it was just always overflowing with plastic bags of dog poop. The amount was unbelievable."

So sure, it makes sense to compost the doggy doo. But why hasn't this been done before? The Associated Press reports that, according to an assistant program director for the U.S. Composting Council, dog and cat waste isn't suitable to use for vegetable gardens and topsoil because of parasites and pathogens.