Recently I was made aware of a research paper submitted by Matthias Gross and published in Environmental Sociology. Professor Gross apparently followed around dog owners in Europe to observe how they handed the poop issue. What did he find? If no one was around, owners were less likely to scoop the poop.
We know that not scooping the poop is also a big problem here in the US, and apartment complexes and property owners are using DNA testing to discover who’s not scooping the poop.
There’s also the problem of those dog owners who DO scoop, but then leave the bag of poop somewhere where they think they won’t be observed, because they don’t want to carry it around.
I get that. I’m not a fan of poop pick-up either, but I do it, partly because I don’t want my neighbors to think a person who does the kind of work I do is irresponsible and lazy.
So you can be sure I was pleased when Earth Rated contacted me about trying out some of their…. I’ll call them “waste collection products”.
It was the dispenser I was most interested in. As described in their marketing info, their dispenser “….has an adjustable strap that allows it to secure to any leash.” Here’s what it looks like on Rumpy’s leash:
On Rumpy’s leashes I had the option of fastening on the handle loop or by his head. No big deal when I’m just carrying around bags, but when I want to adhere the “used” bag to the hook on the back, it’s not fun having that dangling near my leg, and I certainly wasn’t going to have it against my dog’s head. I guess there are leashes that have a loop or pocket midway to allow you to fasten the carrier away from either body, but I’m not going to buy a new leash to go with a new dispenser. Still, it’s better than carrying the bag in my hand as we walk.
As for the bags themselves, they’re a good size. my full hand fits inside with room to spare.
Earth Rated’s product line includes a plastic-free bag, which allows your dog poop to be disposed of in a compost environment.
And they also sent Rumpy a cool bandanna that he modeled for me long enough to get a couple of pics.
Bottom line is this: if you don’t scoop the poop, eventually “The Man” is gonna catch up with you. And now that there are products like these provided by Earth Rated to simplify the work for you, you really have no excuse.
So get to it, people!
Dogpaddling Through Life 
Yeah, it bothers me when I’m out walking my pooches and I find someone else’s mess that wasn’t cleaned up. A couple times it’s been in my own yard!
We bought a similar dispenser at PetSmart a few years ago. It was hydrant shaped. It sparked a lot of interest. When people find out what it is, they’d usually remark about what a cool idea that was and that they would look next time. After nearly 3 years, the carbeaner broke, and then the dispenser fell off one day and split in half. Boo!
Now when I walk mine, I make sure I carry at least two walmart bags. I use the first to turn inside out, scoop, pull over, twist & tie. I then drop it into the second, which I then tie to the leash. It’s not subtle, it dangles and bounces a bit, but (personally I think) it’s better than me carrying it around directly. Not scooping was such a problem in our neighborhood that the HOA even put up a couple of poop waste stations, complete with bags and a bin to place the undesirables in. We go through more bags than we find in the bin. But it has helped some.
I’ve watched some owners actually look around to see if anyone is watching before they pick up. I make my presence known in those cases.
Oh, and Dakota says he “wooo woo wooos the bandana!” He feels naked when he’s not wearing one.
Dakota likes bandannas? I am envious!
When we lived in Murfreesboro, the city provided bags free of charge for use at the dog park, and the thick kind too, and don’t you know people STILL didn’t scoop if they thought no one was around to watch.
Hate the non-scoopers! No reason for it. No one likes it but who likes stepping in it either?? With the winter melt you can see how many don’t bother!
I don’t like them either. But where i live there’s not even a mandatory scoop law, so there’s nothing really to do about it.
We use those bags and love them! We just buy the box dispenser so, prior to any walk, just tear of 3 and stuff them in our pockets. It’s a shame that people take on the responsibility of a dog, without coming to terms with the responsibilities that entails. However, as so many people cannot walk a few yards out of their way to deposit their garbage in a bin, I don’t know why we would expect them to pick up poop and deposit it somewhere appropriate. For some reason (at least around here), the rules over poop pick-up and off leash dogs are very weak and rarely enforced.
There aren’t receptacles where we walk, save personal ones, and I’m not going to put my dog’s poop in my neighbor’s bin and stink it up.
That’s the dispenser and bag my People use. Unless we’re out in a park or in the country, they don’t usually have to use the carrying hook, though, because we have so many garbage cans in the city.
Another fortunate soul who has bins nearby! We don’t. So peeps where you live have even fewer excuses for not scooping the poop!
And yet there are many who don’t…or who, as you say, scoop it and then leave the bag on the sidewalk instead of putting it in a bin. Humans can be very difficult to train.
I’ve never had a problem clearing up after my dog, and find it funny sometimes the things that are available here in the UK for doing the deed that cost a small fortune (flowery pans and fancy shaped holders for example). Why pay £5 for fifty pink (for a bitch) or blue (for a dog) bags when you can get a roll of 500 freezer bags for a pound? OK, you may need to use two, one to scoop up and one to put it in, but I always tie mine and put it in the nearest bin. Recently, I confess the freezer bags have performed badly, and we now purchase 200 black ‘official poo bags’, again for just £1. Where we currently live is dog friendly as there are doggy bins in every road, which are emptied every Friday. There is a bin here on the Marina dog walk which is a simple metal dustbin, and it is emptied………… when it gets full, so it can hum a bit. Sadly, not all dog owners here use it.
Years ago, an acquaintance got fined the maximum £1000 for not clearing up after his dog. Not once, but twice.
There are times when I HAVE cleared up other dogs droppings because they were either in my way, close to where Maggie has done her own business. or I was responsible for them at the time. When walking her in the woods we were disgusted at the amount of mess just left on the footpaths. We knew the culprits too, one couple owning 3 Irish Setters that dumped as soon as they got out of the car.
I have got filthy looks from people when in close proximity to a pile of mess that Maggie was not responsible for.
It makes me wonder if it is their own dogs as how else would they know it was there? Anyway, if challenged, my answer would be ‘You prove that came out of my dog, and I’ll pay the fine.’
You can always tell a responsible dog owner……….. poo bags in one pocket, and dog biscuits in the other!
I’ve been quite creative when I’ve discovered I was out of bags. I like your idea of the freezer bags!
1000GBP (I don’t have the pound symbol!). Now that should be a deterrent! I don’t know anybody here who has been fined for not “picking up” after their dog ………. but I do of a man who refuses to leash his dog. The fine is $35.00Cdn (say around 12 -14 GBP). Needless to say that is no deterrent whatsoever.
Must admit he was the only person I’d heard of who was fined. I think a lot of it was his attitude though (he could be quite rude) and in both instances, his dog fouled near a kiddies playground.
Serves him right then!
I so agree. 🙂
It has gotten so bad here in certain areas that they are considering banning dogs from those places. Thanks for the review. Rumpy is like Chancy with wearing bandanas only Rumpy probably wore that one longer than Chancy would have. lol Hugs and nose kisses
It’s sad that those of us who are responsible (and our dogs) are punished because of those who choose to not follow the rules.
I always pick up my dogs poop. But I often find little poops made by little dogs in my front lawn. I hate it when those people think that little poops don’t count.
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It can be annoying! Thankfully Rumpy isn’t a poop-eater, but some dogs are and that creates yet another set of problems.
I wish more people would clean up after their dogs,its a pet peeve of mine,xx Rachel
Mine too Rachel, and I’m an animal lover, so I can imagine how annoying it is for those who aren’t fond of animals.
The trouble is dog mess smells as does cats,I love all animals,I always used to have dogs and cats and have always cleaned up after them.when I take speedy out on the moors you see it everywhere,but Lucky for me speedy has a keen sense of smell so he never goes anywhere near it,me on the other hand have stepped in it a few times,gross stuff to clean off.bunny poop doesn’t make mess like that,xx Rachel
I have a bag dispenser with a keychain clasp (cost me a buck and it’s shaped like a dog bone). I clasped this to my dog’s leash. After scooping, I knot the bag close to the waste then tie the bag mid-way on the leash so it doesn’t bother me or my pooch then I toss when/where appropriate. It’s not complicated. People are just irresponsible and lazy.
Good idea Kimberly! I’ll try that.
Ah, but this still doesn’t resolve the poop bag near leg issue. 😦
You look so handsome in your green bandana, even if just for a short time. We pick up our poop and then some. We have a problem here of horse poop in the streets. I can imagine what a problem that is for their owners. Have a good weekend. 🙂
That poop bag looks nice! I like the green color, too! I used to carry Kevin’s poop all the way while we were taking a walk……we haven’t seen any there cute poop products in Japan…..
Oh! The green bandana goes very well with Rumpy!
Woo-woo! Best dressed dog award for Rumpy.
Our subdivision has pet bag stations and good thick biodegradable bags – but no trash cans.
In this warm climate worms are a constant worry – and if people don’t pick up their dog’s poop and the dog has worms and another dog manages to make contact with that poop – worms spread. (Not to mention the smell and stepping potential.) Wish everyone would pick up after their pets, but some cant bother to keep dogs on leashes. UGH.
The German’s leash has one of those clip bag containers on the leash holders – I hate it. I’m constantly whacking her, me, the floor, or Molly with the thing. I don’t think I own a jacket without a spare bag in the pocket, but pockets work better for me.
I have an isolated spot in the backyard where all the little bags go into a bigger bag with a twist tie until garbage pick up. Not ideal, but better than stinking up the garage.
I use recycled newspaper delivery bags. I have been known to chase after people with bags when they don’t do the right thing. Bad enough that I have to pick up after three dogs, I don’t have to pick up after your dog. Sometimes it shames them, most times they ignore me.
My bipeds have poo bags in all their pockets and a stash in the car.
Jen always carried them in her pockets but now that she’s got that dispenser attached to my leash, she don’t have to remember to “fill up”
After having 3 children years ago when diapers were cloth or the paper ones barely did the job. Having to change and carry around in restaurants, malls, and everywhere else I find picking up poop to be very simple and easy to dispose. Believe it or not poop bags are generations better than old diapers:)