This is a very timely post! We are moving to a house in the country in a few weeks and have been wondering what to do with our dog's poop since it can't go in a regular food compost.

It looks like these all operate like mini septic-tanks. Since our new house will be on a septic system, does that mean we can flush our dog doo down the loo?

I saw a clip on this on Planet Green last week and have since been working on one/telling everyone I know.

My childhood 1940's house came with one of these in the ground. We had NO idea what it was for until our neighbor told us.

I think it is kind of cool to know that there is 40 years of dog poop down there!

I've been dealing with the where-to-put-the-poop quandry for my two golden retrievers for a while now. Not only is it unpleasant to "store" until the trashman comes there is also a lot of it.

I did not want to do the septic thing because of space constraints.

I ended up getting the NatureMill composter since I can compost both my food waste and the poop. There are differing opinions about whether composted dog poop can be used in the garden - everyone agrees definitely not on edible plants, but many agree it can be used on ornamental plants and that a healthy dog that is properly wormed is the key.

This is a great pamphlet from the USDA about how to compost dog waste safely:
ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/AK/Publications/dogwastecomposting2.pdf

I found it really helpful!

I tried that several years ago and it simply didn't work due to the hair content of the poo (not to be gross but a fact with two thick furred dogs at the time). The whole thing plugged up and the digester was ineffective. It really just became a nasty ugly smelly issue, better to just dispose of the poops in something biodegradable IMHO.

My family spent many years digging holes in the back of our yard and filling them, slowly, with doo and sawdust. They've reorganized and got flowers thriving back there now. I don't remember how often we had to dig a new whole, but we didn't do anything fancier than that.

Also, if you actually monitor your compost, you can grow food in it. Even dog doo compost:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/Pubs/foodnut/09369.html

I'd like to know more about how long bacteria is virulent in finished compost. If I compost manure and then grow flowers in it for a season, can I grow food there next year? The year after? The literature on e. coli makes it sound like topical contact (think poop on the leaf) is the issue, not uptake through the plant system.

We recently found the article and follow the steps,
and just started using the system last week.

We have two 40lb dogs, and the their poops were big issue.
We picked them up with a plastic bags from grocery shops
and dumped them to our garbage bin. The garbage bin smells AWFUL, especially in summer (I mean now)

We use a plastic laundry hamper that already has holes on the side.I also got a container powder for one of the pet waste composting systems, like Doggie Dooley. (If you type 'septic powder' in amazon, they show up. So I think they are same concept.)

I also found a couple of articles that using worms for the composting, but one of them says that you have to 'feed' fresh one, otherwise worms don't take.

Great info, great comments. If you have a make-the-dog-poo-go-away magic, I'm your best customer. Having eight mostly elderly permanent rescues at my home, cleaning up poop is an all day affair. Thankfully most of my work is at home, so I can stay on top of it.

But permanent disposal has been a problem. No commercial doggy dooley will handle my crew's load! Planning to move to a more countrified setting which would accomodate a home-made dooley on a grand scale. Will use many of the suggestions here, so thanks everybody.

Now if we can find a way for our poop

I don't know why I read this post, and every single comment...I don't even have a dog.

LOL at truckeekid! I have a dog and he's only 5 lbs. That would be too much for me especially when I'm planning to move.

A country septic system should be able to handle doggie doo provided your system is rated for an extra member of the family. I think 1200 gallons is adequate for a family of four so two adults, one child, one dog. Your system might need to be pumped more often, perhaps every three years instead of four-five. Most people don't realize that pumping is a neccessary part of septic maintenence.

Does the home-made version smell? I live in town, and have a double lot allowing for a large back yard. I have two dogs, an 80lb and 70lb and this sounds like a fantastic idea for poo disposal, but would rather not have a smelly corner of the back yard since we spend a lot of time back there.

As long as you aren't using doggy doo in the garden, a much cheaper solution would be to buy a garbage bin and a pound of red wiggler worms. As long as you keep the supply "constant", those little manure piranhas will give you compost in no time. And the smell is not bad at all, provided you keep the bin loosely covered.

This is great, i will be doing this soon thanks AT!