Poll: Tampa Bay weighs in on dog poop etiquette debate
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
We asked about your thoughts on dog poop disposal etiquette, and oh boy, did y'all deliver.
The big picture: Of the 280 people who responded to our poll asking what you do with your dog's poop:
- The vast majority, about 79%, said they take it home or put it in a public trash can.
- Roughly 20% of you put it in the nearest receptacle, even if it's someone's personal trash can.
- And three of you (1%) reported being a scourge on society and just leaving the poop where it was. Show yourselves!
What we're hearing: We also got a bunch of written responses covering all the shades of... brown? Here's a sampling:
🚶 Chris C., with perhaps our most generous reply: "I have no problem with someone depositing a doo doo donation into my trash receptacle ... The reason our trash cans are out is to empty them.
- It seems unreasonable to expect one to walk a mile or more holding a bag of fecal matter ... At least they cared enough to pick it up and throw it away. Who cares if it is in someone else's can."
🙅 Andrew Y. did not agree: "It's a shame we have to race out as soon as the trash trucks empty our bins twice a week to make sure some thoughtless person doesn't deposit a bag that will stink for a long time.
- It's not something a truly decent person would do, and they should consider themselves fortunate I haven't caught them."
💩 Barb J. also brought up the smell factor: "Someone in our neighborhood kept putting their dog poop bags into our garbage receptacle.
- If you have ever smelled your trashcan at 96° with dog poop cooking inside, this is something you would not do.
- My husband made a big sign and taped it on the top, that said 'no dog sh$&.' Never had it happen again."
🤢 So did Cindy F.: "I live in a townhouse. My trash can must remain in my garage re our HOA. There is no way to remove the odor, especially when the cans are outside on trash day baking on 100° heat. Enough said!"
🤝 Katherine D. found some middle ground: "If the garbage can is at the curb for pickup and hasn't been emptied yet, you can put the properly secured (tightly tied) bag in it."
🙀 Gina J. brought it on home with a cautionary tale of revenge: "Do not deposit your dog's stinky poop bag in someone else's trash can. It's not worth the risk.
- The owners of the can might be Cat People. Vengeful Cat People who'd follow you home and dump cat urine-soaked cat litter into YOUR garbage can. And you'd have to burn your clothes after cleaning up that cat urine-soaked mess.
- So learn from my sad experience, people. Do unto others and keep your poopy to yourself."
Put that on a bumper sticker!