apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

my brother in law is visually impaired so he pays (learned the value of this service one too many times). i wish i could afford it!

If I go buy the people who walk their dogs in the park along my building---I would say they would perfer just anoyone around to pick up their dog poo! They sure do not bother to do it.

There was a King of the Hill episode about this particular line of work.

I have two dogs, but they're small, thankfully. They go in the backyard and frankly it's not that much work to take out the old scooper-grabber and bag 'em up.

That is a great idea for people with vision problems, though.

I can and I do. I started splurging for it last winter when I just didn't feel like cleaning it up but didn't want to have a mess in the spring. It makes life easier and it's nice not to have to think about doing it.

When you have two dogs with poo bigger than your own, this would come in mighty handy. Scooping poop SUCKS.

If I could afford this, I would do it....at the moment, I'm the pooper scooper.

I have 2 75 pound 4 legged poop producers, but I wouldn't pay someone to do it. No way is it fun, but honestly, it's over before you know it. I bought the NatureMill Pet Waste Composter and so far it's working for us. Doesn't smell great, but that's why it's outside.

I cannot seriously believe people pay for this... and yet as of this comment more people have voted in favor than against. Visually impaired? Your dog stops and poops; put your hand where his or her little dog anus was a moment ago and there's probably poop there. This has nothing to do with disability and everything to do with lazy wealth.

Davidasposted --- I agree that for most people a service like this would be luxury bordering on ridiculousness. But unless you're visually impaired yourself, you really can't judge the extent of someone else's needs. I see perfectly and still sometimes have a hard time spotting my dog's mess, even if it is feet from me in the grass. Add a few cataracts and/or darkness and some people would never find it.

That said, can you imagine actually doing this for a career?

"Nice to meet you, what do you do?"

"I pick up the feces of other people's pets."

Well, it would certainly keep you humble anyway!

We don't have a yard, so I pick up my dog's poop when he's on his walks. If I did have a yard, I couldn't stomach the idea of piles of dog crap building up while waiting for a service to pick it up. So much easier to just get rid of is as soon as he poops.

Davidasposted, I hope you never face disability in your life. I don't think you could handle it. I'm so upset by your phrase lazy wealth that I'm shaking as I type. Rather than get banned from AT by including obescenities in my comment, I'll just leave it up to your imagination what I would like to say.

I don't imagine this service is for when you are walking your dog/following it around. For example, I have a dog door - my dogs let themselves out and go. I am usually not there to witness the event and have to do a pick up round every few days (small dogs).

That said, it's not that hard - so, no I would not pay someone to do it. Also, my dogs are on a raw food diet, so their poops are not that gross frankly.

I came on here to say "how snobby," but Davidasposted has really given this discussion an ugly turn. That's really insensitive.

For people who /are/ fully abled, though, this is just silly -- and demeaning.

People I really don't think David was insulting the impaired as much as the laziness in people. I wouldn't want piles of poo sitting out in my lawn but am amazed when I visit the suburbs to find how many people do not pickup in their own backyards.

A good friend has back problems and could use this service too

It's supposed to be cleaned up. It's my responsibility to make sure it gets cleaned up. Why does it matter if I spend my TIME or my MONEY doing it? Either way, I'm taking responsibility. It's not anyone else's business which one I spend.

Do you also get annoyed with people who employ nannies? House keepers? Gardeners? Dog walkers? House painters? Plumbers? Where's the line?

I can't agree that this is "demeaning". There is a wide range of dirty work that we pay others to do. Why is it okay to pay someone to clean your house (which includes your toilet), tote away your trash, make your coffee, wash your dishes, etc., but so horrible to clean up after your dog?

I don't have a pet, and if I did, I wouldn't waste money on something like this (I won't even pay a barista to make me coffee as it seems excessively wasteful when I can make my own espresso or coffee), but I don't think it's a demeaning job. I think that, if someone can make a living at this, then they're pretty enterprising.

My bf is seriously disabled, but does what he can with a broom and long-handled dustpan. I pick up the rest. Of course, we're extremely poor.

However, Larch's brother and everyone with back problems definitely need this. I bet this would be useful for folks with service dogs.

It pisses me off that the maintenance workers in my apartment have to pick up after other peoples dog. I think if you get a dog, you should pick up after it.
Even though we have someone who does it, I still pick up after my dog. I got the dog and it's my responsibility. I would never hire someone to change my kids diapers!

Let's conduct a thought experiment for a moment: of the total number of people who use this service, what proportion do so because of a disability? Now, compare that number with those who use the service because they don't want to touch poop? What do you think the ratio is? In reality, I mean.

I should have to make a disclaimer about my support for services which assist persons with disabilities: instead of fomenting with rage, read the post carefully as alexis has done and think carefully and critically about the service proposed.

I should *not* have to make a disclaimer...

I wouldn't pay but I personally have other things I'd rather spend my money on.
I also wouldn't mind having this as a job. When dogs are in good health & if they are eating a quality food-they tend to drop tidy logs that are easy to collect with the right tools. And frankly-ones job does not make them the person they are. Heck-you could be the president & still be a scumbag.