“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.”
Samuel Butler
“I wonder what goes through his mind when he sees us peeing in his water bowl.”
Penny Ward Moser
Today I noticed that there was a place to recycle our old plastic bags at the grocery store. We have an unusually large quantity on hand since Charlie passed away. We used to request plastic at the grocery store because we’d use them to pick up her poop during her walks. We thought we were being efficient and responsible, reusing in such a way…
As I thought about the possibility of writing on this subject, and was boning up on it, it came to my attention that while we may have been responsible pet-owners for picking up our dog’s mess, we were completely irresponsible in our choice to use a standard plastic bag.
We were essentially turning something completely bio-degradable into something that will be preserved for 30 years. Wow, feeling kind of ignorant and guilty about that now. Those random foreign carbon emission off-setting projects are sounding pretty good. 20 bucks = clean conscience? Mayan Nut Trees anyone?
What is the answer or alternative to using the plastic bags? Come to find out there are a number of earth-friendly bags that can be used for just such a task. For example, BioBag is a 100% biodegradable bag made from corn. It retails for approximately $5.95 for 50 bags. On the other end of the spectrum, I found a website that gives you step-by-step instructions for making your own doggie loo. I can’t see myself making a toilet for my dog even if I had known about it when I had a dog, and A.J. doesn’t see the point of making a toilet for any creature that doesn’t read.
So, our sweet Charlie is no longer with us but her poop is. Pretty much all of it. There is something really wrong about that.
Here’s a good math problem for the standardized tests. If a 20-pound blonde cocker spaniel named Charlie, dropped an average deuce weighing 4 ounces, 2.5 times per day, and Charlie’s owners picked up each nugget with one standard plastic bag, how much dog caca has been safely preserved in plastic bags over an 11.5 year period?
A) 10,494 plastic bags
B) 2,623 pounds
C) 1.31 tons
D) All of the above are correct
E) B. and C. are correct
Leave your answers in the comments section. There will be no curve.
On the upside, I recycled our old plastic bags and remembered to bring in my canvas bag when I went grocery shopping today. Whoo-hoo.
So what action does this entail for Mick’s Big Fat Green Challenge? I’m working on the details with the company, but, since we no longer have a dog, we’re offering up free samples of BioBags to every dog owner who answers our quiz. Just add “My dog poops!” to your comment and we’ll contact you for mailing info.
We love Bio Bags! Please send us a free lifetime supply.
I’m going to do with D since I’m pretty sure a ton is around 2000 lbs…
I use the bio bags for my own poop, and then throw it at people who make me mad. Hey, how many nuggets in the 4 ounces? I need specifics Dude! XXOO M
Both my dogs poop! But I at least try to use one bag for both of their nuggets instead of two bags.
Can I get in on this bio bag sample?
Totally. I’ll post an update once all the details are worked out with the company. With all the caca you are picking up, we might need to order you the extra large Biobag Dog Poop bags.
You must have read that book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. How’s the poop throwing working out for you?