Dogs...and doggy-doo management

[Nimiety]

When I toss it "over the fence" I mean I toss it over the dog yard fence, and it lands on our property. We live on an acreage. FWIW our neighbors (1/2 mile away) breed hunting dogs. Next time I see them (very rarely) I'll try to remember to ask them how they deal with their droppings.

Our dogs don't run loose unsupervised. If they are out, we are out with them.

[perttime]

Originally Posted by Nimiety

...
But I've always had an issue with the concept of placing organic matter in inorganic plastic so it can't decompose. Seems like a double negative.

I am waiting for "them" to come up with a sturdy, but 100% degradable bag, for all kinds of waste management...not only for excrement.
....

"Everybody" is selling biodegradable poo bags in my corner of the world.

Thing is, local recycling regulations prohibit putting dog poo in compostable waste collection. So it goes with "mixed waste" to the other side of town and the incinerator that produces my electricity.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Nimiety

When I toss it "over the fence" I mean I toss it over the dog yard fence, and it lands on our property. We live on an acreage. FWIW our neighbors (1/2 mile away) breed hunting dogs. Next time I see them (very rarely) I'll try to remember to ask them how they deal with their droppings.

Our dogs don't run loose unsupervised. If they are out, we are out with them.

Your demographics differ than mine, then. I live in a suburb where houses are less than 20 feet apart and many take pride in their lawn care and landscaping so there's a certain expectation of collaboration. There are leash laws in our township and many yards (such as mine, though I don't own a dog) are fenced in. Still, feces (both that are left to lie openly as well as bagged) adorn the sidewalks.

In all honesty, I cannot fault my neighbor since he has a German shepherd and he and his wife both work and have small children. Still, I cannot ignore the smell in the summer and there are times when I have to tend to matters on my side of the property line - particularly when I am raking leaves or mowing the lawn. It's not something that I signed up for though and the neighbor is newer to the neighborhood than we.

[llew]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

What is that benefit, exactly? Not to diminish your affections because even parenthood is a mixed blessing but there's also the drooling, the shedding, the begging at the table, the getting in your way when you're trying to walk somewhere. If you can put up with that then you must have a lot of patience.

The "benefit" is unconditional love. I want to be the person my dog thinks I am!

[perttime]

Originally Posted by llew

The "benefit" is unconditional love. I want to be the person my dog thinks I am!

People have different reasons for having dogs. Some are very practical - even beneficial for society.

Mine are surely psychological. I got used to having a dog as a kid. So that is one thing.

We were only blessed with one child and I suspect one reason for having a dog is to have a substitute for another child. One that you don't expect to outlast you. You raise the "kid" from "baby", live with the "kid", do stuff with the "kid" ... and comfort the "kid" at the death bed.



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I just saw a post by a Vet, about dogs that she has to put to sleep. If the owner does not want to be there, the dog usually spends those last minutes desperately trying to find "mom" or "dad".

[Neil K Walk]

Yeah, I get the unconditional love thing. I miss having kids who are still small. My “bud bud” is now two inches taller than me and can take about 45 minutes of my company, tops. Dogs apparently don’t outgrow us.

[Shepsdad]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

What is that benefit, exactly? Not to diminish your affections because even parenthood is a mixed blessing but there's also the drooling, the shedding, the begging at the table, the getting in your way when you're trying to walk somewhere. If you can put up with that then you must have a lot of patience.

Our shepherd killed two coyotes that apparently were after our next door neighbors small dog. One was dead in our yard, the other was found later in the day across the road, The blood trail led to it. Our neighbors dog is a 5 lb rat of a dog, but that shepherd loved that little mutt. I’m old and forgetful, sometimes I forget to lock doors, I didn’t worry about it when the shepherd was around. If some carpet bagger knocked on the door with some scam story, they didn’t hang around long because that shepherd was always beside me to greet whoever was at the door.
That’s just a few of the benefits that pop into my head at the moment.

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

What is that benefit, exactly? Not to diminish your affections because even parenthood is a mixed blessing but there's also the drooling, the shedding, the begging at the table, the getting in your way when you're trying to walk somewhere. If you can put up with that then you must have a lot of patience.

These aren't problems that come with having a dog; they're problems of a dog owner who didn't do their duty and train the dog. Properly raised dogs don't do any of these things, and certain breeds are almost always going to be superior/inferior in all ways as well.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

These aren't problems that come with having a dog; they're problems of a dog owner who didn't do their duty and train the dog. Properly raised dogs don't do any of these things, and certain breeds are almost always going to be superior/inferior in all ways as well.

I agree that many don't train their dogs like they ought to, but you can't train away slobber....

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

I agree that many don't train their dogs like they ought to, but you can't train away slobber....

Slobber comes with certain breeds and is pretty much non-existent from a lot of others. Never understood some peoples love of dogs that drool 24/7.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

I agree that many don't train their dogs like they ought to, but you can't train away slobber....

Yup. My late uncle was a neat freak but he LOVED St. Bernards. I have another friend who has Great Danes and he has to clean the drool of the windows. He institutes a strict No Dogs in the kitchen rule but they get close.

At that point you might as well get a horse IMO.

[perttime]

I don't mind if somebody else wants a Chihuahua, Irish Wolfhound (like my brother in law) or Pyrenean Mastiff. Those extremes just don't attract me enough to want one. For myself, I like a dog that is large enough to look and feel like a dog - but not conspicuously large. And I like a dog to have some hair. I seem to be drawn to smallish hairy sheepdogs.

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by perttime

"Everybody" is selling biodegradable poo bags in my corner of the world.

Guess we have yet to be introduced.
Never met everybody.
I would rather see a dog turd on the grass than someone's poop bag just sitting there.
Usually green, sometimes black.
Just sitting there like someone else has the job to come around and pick them up?
Not so sure what good biodegradable is when it is just laying beside the trail.
Or even on the nearest picnic table.

And yes we are dog owners

[perttime]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

Guess we have yet to be introduced.
Never met everybody.
I would rather see a dog turd on the grass than someone's poop bag just sitting there.
....

We are on different continents. "Everybody" is here.

I totally agree on the stupidity of leaving bagged poop anywhere but in trash.

[Fogducker]

November 11, 2011-----I STILL miss my Doberman, Gwendy. Dogs live about 12 years,-- that isn't long enough (I had four of them). Don't remember the negatives and now I'm too old to get another dog. I don't remember too much about my yards except I had to mow the S.O.B.'s!

Fog