What Charlotte has to say about dog poop etiquette
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We asked last week whether it's socially acceptable to put your dog's bagged poop in a neighbor's trash can, or whether you should take the bag home to dispose of it there.
Why it matters: Dog etiquette is a steamy topic, and proper doodoo disposal is vital for public health and not being totally grossed out all the time.
By the numbers: 933 readers voted in our poll — 81% said owners should take the waste home or dispose of it in a public trash bin, compared with 19% who said they should just chuck it in the nearest trash can, even if it belongs to someone else.
- Three of you had the audacity to say they should leave their dog's poop where it was deposited.
Reality check: Charlotte city law makes it illegal to leave your dog's waste on public property — like sidewalks, streets or parks — or on someone else's private property without their permission. In other words, you're required to clean it up.
- The only exceptions are for people with guide dogs or police officers handling dogs while on duty.
What they're saying: Our inbox was flooded with your hot takes. Here are a few of our favorite responses.
- Janet M.: "If it is trash day, trash cans are out on the street waiting for pickup AND the garbage people have not yet emptied said garbage can … toss your poop bag in whatever can is available. However, if any of those three criteria are not met … Carry your bag home to your own garbage."
- Lisa S.: "Owners should carry their dog's treasure home or toss it in a public trash can. Not in someone else's trash can … UNLESS, said trash can has been sitting on the curb 3, 4, 5 days after trash pick up ... Sorry to say, but at that point it's fair game!"
- Joanne M.: "Take your dog's poop with you. If my trash can is at the curb and is empty, it means I will have YOUR dog's poop smelling up the can for the next week. It is gross and not fair to those of us who choose not to have a dog(s)."
- Bob M.: "Many people store the cans, for the week, in the garage. Don't think being a good neighbor is picking up poo, only to dump it in a neighbor's can, that then smells like, well, we know what it smells like, in their garage!"
- Caroline C.: "As long as the poop is in a closed/sealed bag, I don't care what trash can they use. At least they're picking it up."
- Sam S.: "As a responsible dog owner and caring neighbor as well as a former professional dog walker, I can say with confidence: take the poop home, or drop it in a PUBLIC receptacle!
- Kim C.: "My husband and I did a Poop Study. We got so frustrated because my dog liked to eat poop and it was very difficult to stop him with all the poop left by everyone. For a month, we walked our neighborhood ... and picked up all the rogue poops we found along our way. We weighed them and calculated how much we weighed after 30 days ... I don't remember the exact total, but I know it was a few pounds."
- Leah F.: "Take your waste home. I don't have a dog and definitely don't want your dog's poop in my trash can or in my yard."
- Graham B.: "If it's your poop, it's your problem."
- Paige C.: "If the trash can is on the street and meant for trash outside (like a big bin or a communal dumpster), literally who cares if you put poop in it. It's meant for garbage, it's outside, and it's gonna get picked up by a truck within a week (3x weekly in New York!!!). I think the homeowners who make a big stink (pun intended) over it are part of a larger American individualism "get off my lawn" problem that creates communities built around exclusion. If we want people to pick up their poop (let me be clear, people who don't pick up dog poop deserve to be in jail and are the worst), we have to make it easy ... But in the meantime, sometimes we just have to be that for other people and give our neighbors a hand — if the trash can is clearly going to be picked up by a garbage truck and not impending on your personal space (i.e. it goes outside), for the love of god, just let people throw bagged poop in it."
- Lisa K.: "It may be 'lawful' but it's awful. Shows total lack of respect, not to mention self-absorption. So you don't want to bring it home to your house? Why? It certainly isn't too heavy to carry. It's too smelly? Why yes, yes it is. So what makes you think someone else wants that in their trash can. Especially if they don't own a dog. It's even more annoying when the garbage has just been picked up and the temp outside is 90°. Delightful. But YOU saved yourself from carrying it home. Think. Of. Others. And not yourself."
- Jackie U.: "Shout out to Villa Heights! I am a resident (and dog owner) there, and the neighborhood association installed dog waste stations throughout the neighborhood to help solve this dilemma!"
The bottom line: Most rational Charlotteans agree that picking up after your dog is a pet owner's basic duty.
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