# Question about dog poop bags **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 26, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163 "2023-08-26T22:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/21 "2023-08-27T14:41:42Z")
I love it! I once caught someone allowing their dog to poop on my front lawn - I was working at my desk and saw it from my window. I opened the window and said “I hope you’re gonna pick that up!” and they sheepishly apologised as they bagged it up. Satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/22 "2023-08-27T14:51:49Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > I’m considering getting cameras and then retuning the package to the windshield of their cars with a little note. How does one find out or know for sure what car, parked at which address, is owned by which dog’s owner? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/23 "2023-08-27T15:03:22Z")
Submitted without comment: > **[Picking Up After Pets: Should Your HOA Utilize Dog Poop DNA?](https://blog.realmanage.com/en-us/dog-poop-dna)** > > Has your HOA struggled with residents who don't pick up after their pets? Read here to learn whether dog poop DNA is the right solution for your community. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/24 "2023-08-27T15:11:11Z")
I can just see the inevitable lawsuits from people arguing that the tested dog shit was contaminated with their dog’s DNA that was picked up and properly disposed of earlier. When going on a long walk, it’s not especially onerous to bag and carry your dog’s leavings (Pluto is a master at taking a dump early on), but it’s not such a big deal. Somehow we manage to carry it back home for disposal. Dog owners who just leave it out for the poop fairy (and to a lesser extent, those who dump the bag in someone else’s trash) are wretched humans. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/25 "2023-08-27T15:20:23Z")
I’ve never had a dog so how does the poop get in the bag? I’m guessing the human picks it up using the bag as a glove. Sounds wretched and smeary and stinky. Or does anyone lay out an absorbent disposable cloth 🤷‍♀️the dog shits on then you pick that up and put in a bag. Horses have manure bags how bout dogs? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/26 "2023-08-27T15:29:27Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I’m guessing the human picks it up using the bag as a glove. Yep. Our dogs have nice, solid poops. Easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/27 "2023-08-27T16:24:23Z")
That’s a good reason to monitor their diet. What about a poop neutralizer that would dissolve or neutralize the crap so you can leave it there. Still not nice to come across decayed poop remains in public but better than poop bags littering the park or trail. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/28 "2023-08-27T16:36:18Z")
Yes to the “glove” method. If you can’t manage this, don’t get a dog. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/29 "2023-08-27T16:50:15Z")
My dog gets a walk every morning, we have 2 routes we take. On these walks I take a plastic bag of some sort (bread, bun, bagels bag) and a dollar store metal spoon. Besides picking up my dog’s deposit, I pick up other piles too. I find these piles on sidewalks, the local middle school running track, a grade school playground and along a public trail. This morning was what I consider a good day, I only found 3 piles left behind plus one bag of poop. I have found as many as 10 on bad days. The dollar store spoon? Fantastic tool for picking up poop. Much easier that the glove method especially when dealing with multiple piles. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/30 "2023-08-27T16:56:27Z")
Reusing bread bags etc is the more environmentally friendly method than buying single use thick waterproof poo bags. Biodegradable poop bags also a good choice but perhaps a little iffy. I have no plans to get a dog my three cats are already on thin ice here. J/k. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/31 "2023-08-27T18:11:18Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > A bit off topic but we have people walking dogs on these long, retractable leashes. IMO, as a very general rule, you can count on people using such leashes to be the least considerate dog owners in all respects. One of my best buddies had cats. i always had dogs. He could not imagine picking up a dog’s poop. I could not imagine having an animal shit and piss in my house. Takes all kinds. Also, in the same category as “my shit doesn’t stink,” for whatever reason my dog’s fresh shit is no big deal, while some other dog’s shit has a definite ick factor. In our neighborhood, every morning when we walk there are fox turds on the sidewalks. Why the hell do they shit on the sidewalks?! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/32 "2023-08-27T18:26:33Z")
Same reason cats run OFF the hardwood/tile/linoleum so they can barf on the rug or carpet. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/33 "2023-08-27T21:00:19Z")
Our cats only do that if it’s 3AM; they learned that trick from our smoke alarms. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > Hell, it is in a bag. Just hold it, slip it in your pocket, or tie it to the dog’s collar. I discovered, during a very cold Minnesota winter day, that a filled doggie bag makes a good hand warmer if you put in your glove. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/34 "2023-08-27T21:28:12Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Hell, it is in a bag. Just hold it, slip it in your pocket, or tie it to the dog’s collar. I wouldn’t recommend ~~any of that~~ those last two. Unless you buy the bags yourself and are _extremely sure_ of their quality, um, some of them are either porous or frightfully weak or tend to biodegrade the minute you use them. Even swinging from your dog’s collar … creates a risk that I’d rather not contemplate. I tie the full bags, and then hold the bag by slipping two fingers just below the knot. I carry it that way until I have an “according to Hoyle” disposal opportunity. Haven’t had any problems that way. I’ve had problems with bags in Sam’s backpack, my backpack, in the back of the car, in my pocket, tied to his leash, and just about every other imaginable which-way. The North Face isn’t making these bags for rugged people to sleep in on a Karakoram trek 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/35 "2023-08-27T23:51:01Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > I wouldn’t recommend ~~any of that~~ those last two. > > Unless you buy the bags yourself and are _extremely sure_ of their quality, um, some of them are either porous or frightfully weak or tend to biodegrade the minute you use them. I’ve never encountered such fragile bags, either the ones we buy or the ones we grab in public. One time, a couple of decades ago, I was carrying the bag and absentmindedly started twirling it by the end above the knot. Yeah, that one failed. And I’m generally not going on hugely long, aggressive hikes. Bag in jacket pocket has never been a problem in at least a few thousand reps. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/36 "2023-08-28T04:19:31Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Horses have manure bags how bout dogs? I’ve only ever seen manure bags for horses that are pulling something like a carriage & they’re on the carriage under the horse’s butt not actually attached to the horse. Speaking of horse’s asses I hate the frickin’ ones on _top_ of the horse. I spoke to a park ranger, the pooper-scooper laws _do_ apply to you, & don’t give me some bullshit (heh) about your beast doesn’t eat meat so the poop isn’t as nasty. I still don’t want to step it in & there’s a lot more horse shit than dog shit in a single poop. I have two choices on the otherwise nice single track trails, leap over a huge pile if you were nice enough to stop while it shit or or jump back & forth for 15’ if it was doing the horse equivalent of walking & chewing gum at the same time. I swear I’m going to start carrying latex gloves & pelt the asshole on top with what came out of the one on the bottom! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/37 "2023-08-28T11:45:07Z")
Hmm. While i can’t say i like stepping in horse shit, i admit that i think horse shit is just a feature of trails that are used by horses. And i don’t ride, so it’s not like I’m saying that in my interest. And horse shit isn’t nearly as gross as dog shit. And neither is as disgusting as a tidy bag of dog shit. There’s something so jarring about that. I really despise finding parcels of dog shit when I’m walking. My sister’s leash has a thing to hold one of those bags. There’s really no excuse for leaving them lying around. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/38 "2023-08-28T13:52:31Z")
I think walkers think bags are compostable but also see my trash-picking crew coming three times a month down their block. We walked in front of a mom and her kid and the kid threw some wrappers. The mom looked at us and said “Ooh Bleep no, we’re not leaving trash for these fellas to get!” Her loud accent made our team members laugh so hard when she said it. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/39 "2023-08-28T13:59:49Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I opened the window and said “I hope you’re gonna pick that up!” and they sheepishly apologised as they bagged it up. Satisfying. What did that person do wrong? So the dog pooped? They had a bag, how do you know they _wouldn’t_ have picked it up? If they had started walking away you’re be totally in the right but as you described it you just yelled at them for no reason. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163/40 "2023-08-28T14:01:27Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Reusing bread bags etc is the more environmentally friendly method than buying single use thick waterproof poo bags. 🤨 “thick waterproof poop bags?” All the dog poo bags I’ve seen are thinner and more flimsy than anything bread or other food comes in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dog-poop-bags/989163.md?page=3)