As long as it’s trash day I sat it’s fine…and that it goes into the barrel cleanly without any more mess. My dad is totally that neighbor that like looks out windows and doors for people who are having their dogs poop on our lawn, he hates it! He’s also a bit crazy though…

OMG, hilarious post! I don’t have a dog and I don’t know what’s acceptable, but I say go for it! How will they even know? At least you’re picking it up!

I hate walking with poop, which I end up doing a lot because I swear Bowser’s colon must be like a whistle, but I agree with your husband … not okay. What if someone accidentally threw away something important and they run out to the trash can in a panic, and then on top is a nice, steamy bag of poo?

First of all – holy lots of poop Maggie!

Okay so I had this same debate (with myself) and I came up with it’s okay to put it in barrels that haven’t been emptied yet.

If the trash hasn’t been picked up yet, and the bin is on the street and full, sure! It’s fair game. Dump it in there. But if the trash has been picked up, then you have to suck it up and keep on with the poop.

I’ve been known to throw any sort of trash in other people’s trash cans (as long as the cans are full). Not just poop.

I think it’s highly acceptable to put it in someone else’s garbage bin. After all, if they’ve taken their bin is out to the curb, they’re never going to know your dog poop is in there anyway, right? The next person to take it away will be the garbage man, who probably couldn’t care less whose poop it is. Definitely siding with you on this one Caitlin! 🙂

I say it’s never OK to put a poop bag in someone else’s trash can! I only say this because prior to having a dog, I would certainly not appreciate a stinky bag of poop sitting in my can that could end up being in there until the next trash day. Whether or not the trash has already been picked up is debatable….if someone put the bag in there at night, the trash got picked up in the morning and I never knew about it, I suppose that’s a different story!

Being a dog owner now, I would NEVER put the bag in a neighbor’s can. I hate carrying the bag around more than anything, but I would be mortified to be known as the person who dumps the poo bags in random trash cans!

This is so not what I thought this post would be about! LOL! I wouldn’t put it in other peoples’ trash cans, I’m kinda with your hubby there. I’m lucky in that we have special bins planted all over my neighborhood and they even have poop bags attached, so I use those if he goes when I’m out walking him.

we live in an area where we would just throw it all in the woods

but i guess if it’s trash day, I guess it would be OK.

i wonder what your neighbors would say?

Eeek! I think it’s ok ONLY if the trash hasn’t come yet. I’d be hecka pissed if I had dog poop in my trash can when I rolled it back inside – YES, INSIDE, because our HOA dictates that ours has to be in our garage. Also, we don’t have a dog. So hot garage….other people’s dog poop….smelly garage….this pretty much equals a trash can I’m going to have to clean and some choice words for whoever did it.

As a dog owner, I would never ever ever do this. We’ve had bags in our own garbage get squished open (we use the biodegradable/compostable bags), and I can’t imagine doing this to anyone else. Now public trash cans I’m okay with. Just my two cents.

Sorry to say I don’t agree with you, but I’m with the Husband! I don’t think it’s appropriate to use other people’s trash cans, unless they are clearly marked for public use.

I’m with your husband on this one!

I would say if the trash is coming later in the day, go for it. Otherwise, I’d steer clear of other people’s trash cans. That could just be a smelly smelly mess for your neighbors!!!

I’ll admit that I’ve done it before–I HATE carrying poop for very long! That said, I usually try to walk my dogs along a route where there are public bins. There’s a park a block and a half from my house, and I almost always take my dogs there to dispose of the poop.

I should add that using another person’s trash is technically illegal (“theft of services”), though most people are reasonable enough not to call the police. I have known of cases in which people were ticketed for it, though.

I happen to have fairly distinct poo bags (pink with white strips) and I did one time put my dogs poo in someone else’s trash can which was out near the curb, still full waiting to be picked up. I walked back by the same place the next day only to find a pink bag with white strips filled with poo sitting on the sidewalk. I don’t know if the owner saw and dumped it out or if the trash guys missed it….but I never did it again.

It depends. If I’m the one holding the poop, then yes. If it’s my trashcan, then no. I know, not quite the answer you were looking for.

I think it’s a little disrespectful to put it in someone’s trash can, especially when the trash has already been picked up. However, if it is trash day & you can set it on top of their garbage bags so that it was SURE to get picked up, I say why not? Though I probably wouldn’t do it to my more curmudgeonly neighbors.

…also, I think there are doggy poop bags that you flush down the toilot and are they decompose. I think they are supposed to be more green” since you’re not trashing plastic every time

I totally want your breakfast!

As for doggy poo, if the can is at the curb awaiting pickup, go for it. However, if it has already been picked up or is next to someones house, no.

Double bag it if you have to carry it further.

I was anti using other people’s trash cans for a while but, like you, I hate carrying it around. I feel free to throw it in a Dumpster if I pass one (like at a gas station) or in a garbage can out for pick up. If the trash men have come by and it’s empty, I won’t use it.

Haha, love this debate! I am with your husband on this…I don’t think it’s right to put it in someone elses trash can , so I wouldn’t do it. Public bins ok, private ones not ok I’d say. I have two large dogs and we go on two walkies a day and I take them running as well- and it’s soooo not nice or cool or convenient to be running/ walking with poo bags dangling off my wrist, but that’s just how it is until I come past a public rubbish bin- otherwise I take it home with me.
I don’t comment often…I can’t believe I felt the need to weigh in on the poo debate of all things!? 🙂

If it’ll be picked up later that day, i say go for it! if not, that’s just icky!

This is a hot topic in our neighborhood, because I live in a subdivision where nearly everyone keeps their trashcans directly outside their garages, which back up to roads that everyone walks down. The HOA has put out MORE THAN ONE newsletter with a specific direction to put dog poop in your own trashcan or a HOA-maintain “public” can, and NOT in a neighbor’s can. Some of my neighbors feel so strongly about this that they have bought padlocks for their trashcans – that seems a little extreme to me, but whatever. I know I get annoyed when I open my trashcan to put something in it and I see trash that I KNOW isn’t ours (e.g. mcdonald’s bag when neither of us eats fast food), because WTF? It’s MY trashcan! If I’m not by a HOA can, I carry the poop back to my house – we have a special little can in the garage just for poop bags than I dump into the big can on trash day.

I say if the trash hasn’t been picked up yet, then go for it. I wouldn’t care if someone put something in my trash if it’s going out anyway. However, if they put it in there after it’s been picked up, that would irritate me. But, I would get over it and realize there are more important things in the world to worry about that what trash is in my trash can. 🙂

No, I don’t think its ok to put in other people’s trashcans. (even on trash day)

It smells despite the plastic bag! I’ve been tempted too but I don’t think I’d want it done to mine either. I’ve put our dog’s poop in our can all sealed up and you can still smell it!

Hahahah I loooove this topic! I have a yard, so this isn’t ALWAYS an issue, but if the trash bins are out, and the trash hasn’t been picked up yet, I think its okay. I try to find a public one if I can, but if not, that will suffice. It’s better than littering! And honestly, I wouldn’t mind if someone put their baggie of dog poop in my trash can. Going up to the side of someone’s house would be crossing a line, though.

That is hilarious! I do the same thing and put our dogs poop bags in other people’s trash cans, but only if it has not been picked up yet. It won’t be in there long enough to stink up the trash can…so why not? 🙂

I am a dog owner so I wouldn’t care if someone used my trash, but I could see how someone who doesn’t have dogs might disagree.

I have to agree with your husband, although I am guilty of placing a poop bag in someone else’s bin (it was trash day but still). I have a little four pound yorkie and his poop is about the size of my pinkie so carrying it around in a plastic shopping bag doesn’t bother me. However, when I dog-sat for my best friend’s lab I quickly learned the difference between 4 lb dog poop and 75 pound dog poop. Obviously a lab’s poop is going to be much more substantial than a yorkie’s but dealing with it up close and personal was a whole different experience. Ew. I felt so bad putting it in a neighborhood trash can but I rationalized that it was being picked up that day. Still, yuck. I would be wicked pissed if I saw someone placing their dog poop bag in my trash bin.

Wow, that is a lot of poop talk this early in the day 😉

I would say no… not sure why, but I know that if I saw someone elses poop in my trashcan that it would irritate me. This may be from having what I call “only child syndrome”… MY belongings are MINE! lol. It would almost feel as bad as finding the poop itself in there, I just would kind of feel disrespected. Just like I did the other week when I came home and found dog poop in my front yard and I live in a bottom level condo so it was only a few steps from my door… It must’ve been a dog the size of a horse cause it looked HUGE! I couldn’t believe someone had the nerve to leave that there. I live in a pretty dog friendly neighborhood so it surprised me… we have special bins that even have the baggies attached in case you need them.

Hahahahaha! This is a very urgent matter, indeed! Our frenchie is also a total party pooper. Fortunately, however, we have a municipal trash can adjacent to his “spot,” so we never have to fret over the should I/shouldn’t I of other people’s trash. I am with you, though– if your neighbor’s garbage hasn’t been picked up, I think it’s totally fine.

Absolutely not. That’s really gross, lol! I don’t have a dog or any other pet and I’d be absolutely pissed off if I saw someone putting their own dog poop in my can. If you have a dog, you have to deal with the poop…not me. What if I went back out and got a nose full of dog mess when I went to put more trash in there??? It’s just really really gross. Dog poop is seriously one reason why I could NEVER have a dog. You have to take it home and deal with it there…your dog, your can.

I wouldn’t ever put my dogs poop in someones trash can. What if you opened up their trash can and found something disturbing? Or disgusting? Eeew.

However, there is a public trash can on the route that I walk Olive, and I do drop off the poop bags there fairly often. Why is this different? I guess because its anonymous? If I find some kind of weird thing I don’t know whose it is? Although, I’ve heard that *technically* (at least in our area) you aren’t supposed to dispose of dog (or cat)poops in the garbage so I suppose maybe the public trash can isn’t the best idea either.

(Is it weird that the thing that deters me the most is other people’s possible dirty secrets? LOL!)

I think you probably shouldn’t throw dog poop in other people’s trash cans. I don’t think I would like it if people did it to mine. Dog poop has a miraculous power, where its odor can escape sealed plastic bags and making people’s trash cans smell like turds is not very neighborly!

This conversation makes me very glad to live in a big city. When I lived with my sister and brother in law, I used to occasionally walk their dog, Onyx. I hated picking up dog poop and I hated carrying it around with me. Luckily, living in San Francisco, there is a public trash can on essentially every corner. I have no problem making the city’s trash can’s smell like dog poop. Seriously, they often smell far worse than that.

Oh man, I justttt moved to a neighborhood (from NYC) and always have this issue. I don’t mind chucking it in someone else’s trash… if it hasn’t been picked up of course!

Well, my personal opinion is that I would be more disgusted seeing someone carrying around a bag of doo doo then throwing it in my trash, I would say TRASH IT ASAP!!

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I can honestly say that you have helped end my fight with the scale. I used to be so guilt ridden when I ate a “bad” food or didnt get to the gym but after reading about your healthy eating and lifestyle I have changed my ways so much. It really hurts me personally that this magazine tried to show you girls in a such a negative light. You have been such an inspiration for me in more ways than one, and I really hope you know that.

How cool is it that YOU had such an impact on MY life ?! And we’ve never even met 🙂

No- I would never put my dog’s poop in someone else’s can. The city trash cans, yes, but a regular trashcan out on the curb, no. What if the bag breaks? They could put something sharp on top of it, and then they have dog poop all over their trashcan. I hate carrying dog poop too, but I would never put it in someone else’s garbage can.

I think I’d be scared people would get mad at me!

throw that poop in the trashcan at will! nobody’s trashcan is too good for a sack of poop.

Ok, since we’re talking about poop, want to hear a funny story? My parents have a new puppy, and she eats a raw diet 2x per day. So exactly 3.5 seconds after she eats, she has to poop. No joke, it’s like there is only so much space inside her little body, so when she puts food in, it pushes the poop out. It is hysterical to watch her do it. Thankfully, she is litterbox trained (yes, a dog- dog litter!) so she eats and hops in her little box to poop.

But anyway, about the trash thing, I would only do it IF you are 100% sure the trash hasn’t been picked up yet, and it is going to be picked up soon (next few hours). Those bags smell, especially if the can sits out in the sun! So if it an empty can, no one else should have to deal with someone else’s dog poop for the next 3 days until the trash is picked up again.

I wouldn’t do it. I personally wouldn’t care if a neighbor dumped some poop in my trash can, but I can’t say that they would feel the same way. I’d just carry it home and put it in the trash at my own house.

Trash is trash. Those people don’t want what’s in their trash can for a reason, they threw it away! What’s a little doggie doo gunna hurt? 🙂

You ask the tough questions! My rule is like yours. If it’s trash day and it hasn’t been picked up, or it’s late at night and the filled trash can is out to be picked up in the morning. Otherwise, I carry the baggie until I get home, which is just lovely. Another debate…what type of bag? The compostable kind you buy, or do you use recycled grocery bags if your fiancé refuses to use reusable bags when he goes to the store (ok, perhaps I’m projecting there…)

Love you, love your blog, think that “journalist” was a hypocritical shit-stirrer.
But no, you can’t put your dog’s poo is someone else’s trashcan. It’s inconsiderate (bags do break) and it’s gross. Yes, it’s a trashcan but some people like to keep theirs from smelling like poo, and having a stranger drop their dog’s bacteria-infested, steaming turds in there messes with their bin chi. If it’s too gross for you to carry around then it’s probably too gross to put in someone else’s property.

HA – what a great topic – POOP!

Glad we got breakfast out of the way first – your sandwich looks delightful!

Um…I’m going with hubby on this one; stay out of other’s trash. LOL

agreed – no, totally not ok. smells, accidents, private property, ethics.

Mother of a pooper (sorry, my four-legged love, but you are) responding.
Bamse and I have one rule : if the people who own the trash bin has a dog, then it is acceptable. If not, try to hold on to your little black bag untill you a) come across a public trash bin or b) untill you get to a house where you know the people there have a dog.
This little rule is based on the fact that I would not mind other people throwing their bag in my bin, that is much better than not pick it up at all.

Big hug!

I’m with you. If it’s trash day and it’s on the curb, what’s the problem? Would the person who owns that trash can prefer your dog poop in their yard?

I say no, it’s not okay. If you throw your dog poo into someone’s trash can, what stops someone else from coming by and vomiting into yours? It’s all trash, right? (Can you tell I live in a city? Vomit is a feature of daily life)

don’t put into an empty trash can. that little baggie could get wedge into the bottom of the can and the owner will be the one to have to dig out someone else’s dog poop baggie. if the can has other stuff in it, i would put it in there. but i don’t think it’s ok to make a habit of it. i would be kinda pissed if i had a neighbor who regularly did this and i wouldn’t do it to my neighbor.

As someone who lives on a *very* popular dog walking route, I say don’t put your dog poop in someone’s trash can. We learned pretty quickly to keep our trash can in our garage on every day but trash day because people would stop off and drop their bags in regardless of whether it was trash day or not. And let me tell you, they stink (although nobody probably needed me to tell you that). That said, I don’t really have a problem with someone throwing a sealed bag in before the trash people come around, but like many others here, our garbage pick up is pretty early. I think the best, safest rule is, don’t throw the poop bag in anyone else’s trash bin.

hahah hilarious! I can see the husband’s point, and I think if I saw someone doing it to me I would be weirded out / angry, BUT I would probably do it and side with you! Only if trash is about to be picked up and it’s in a plastic baggie so it cant get everywhere.

Um. Yea. That poop needs to make its way back home with you, dawg =)

I wouldn’t care if someone did it to me, and I’ve done it in the past but I agree that on the whole it’s probably not a good idea. Also, I didn’t realize it was illegal!

On the topic of poop – I live in San Francisco and we had people put a huge bag of HUMAN FECES in our compost bin one time while it was on the street. Lemme tell ya…that is NOT COOL!!!

Put it in the trash if it hasn’t been picked up yet!
It’s in a bag alrady, it’s not messing up their cans!
Otherwise there are several products on the market that ‘clip’ the waste bag to your leash so you don’t have to carry it in your hand all the way home.
http://hiphound.com/shop/dog-poop-bag-holder-portapoo

We don’t have our own yard either, and I ALWAYS make sure I pick up after my 2 dogs. These clips work great for our pups!

Honestly I would say no way on trashing it in someone else’s trash can. This makes me very thankful that I don’t have to pick up my dog’s poop! Luckily my yard is big enough that he can just go out and run and the lawnmower takes care of the rest 😉 Our “mowable” yard is also 3 acres so that makes the dog poops few and far between!

Yep, it’s gotta go in your own trash or when the trash is about to be picked up. I have also found the poop in my bin and it is sick!

I actually saw this on the news a few months ago! People were getting mad about poop bags being put into their garbage. I say it’s only acceptable when the bin is on the street waiting to be emptied.

Totally acceptable!

I would not put my dog’s poop in anyone else’s can, I personally own a dog and I can tell you if the poo sits for hours in the can in a bag or not it stinks up the can. Out of common curtosy for others, take them home or dispose in a public can.

I agree with you…. if the trash has not been picked up, whats the big deal? It beats walking around with a bag of poo in your hand. And how about this: at least you pick up after your dogs. There are plenty of people that just run for the hills after the dog does the deed.

No. Never, ever, EVER ok. Doesn’t matter if it’s trash waiting to be picked up. It’s never ok to touch someone else’s property (even if it’s just a garbage can) and put your dog’s poop in there. What if the bag breaks and it gets everywhere? That’s just inconsiderate and lazy on your part. If you don’t like carrying around your dog’s mess, you shouldn’t have a dog. You should never be putting it into someone else’s trash cans.

The point isn’t that “it’s just a trashcan!”, the point is, it isn’t YOUR trashcan to touch and put things into. Isn’t this just common sense?

i would bring an extra bag to put those dog poops in, you know, seal in the smell or whatever. i wouldn’t ever throw it into another person’s trash, regardless of whether it was picked up or not.

This debate makes me grateful that my two dogs have an acre to handle their business on (YAY rural homes, Boo for the commute to DC). I think it is A-Ok when it is trash day and the cans are already at the curb for pick-up. I know if I were to be in the same situation, I would have to know which neighbors: 1. have dogs 2. won’t flip if they catch me putting the poo bag in their trash can.
Good luck on your debate.

I’m with the no side. I just think about people I know (especially people who don’t own, or even like, dogs). They would be really angered knowing someone put a dog poo bag in their trash, whether or not it was about to get tossed soon.

I would come up with some kind of bag to carry on you that you can put your bags in, and not have the possibility of soiling someone else’s can.

I’m going to side with The Husband. I don’t think it’s ever acceptable to use someone else’s trash can – whether it’s full or not. Just because the bag enters the can sealed doesn’t mean it will leave that way. It could easily get popped and then smeared on the side of the trash can (ewww!!) when it’s being emptied. Even though it’s a trash can, that’s someone’s property.

My boyfriend and I had the exact same debate! I say it’s never acceptable and he says it is. I would tend to side with the Husband, although if the trash hasn’t been picked up, you’re probably OK. Would you be angry if someone did it to you? If not, then there’s your answer!

i LOVE how many comments this post got!

i’m with your husband.

i carry the poop (which i HATE!) until i get home. I don’t want poop in my OWN trashcan, so i figure no one else does either!

xoxo

It’s hilarious topic. I don’t have dog, but I think i wont put poop bag in someone else’s trash can, i am too scared of getting caught, public trash can souns ok.

I know your debate has already been decided but I am adding my 2 cents. IT IS TRASH! It is acceptable for the police to go through it because it is in ‘plain view’ I don’t see why adding something to it would be a problem. I ONLY do it in the morning when the cans are at the curb to be picked up. I would NEVER do it to a can that was there the night before because of the smell. Now also, we never, have our cans disturbed buy wildlife….why? Because it has dog poop in it. Maybe your neighbors or those people that think it is awful to do should think about that.

A delicious looking breakfast and poop talk in 1 post. Love it. I’m totally with you on this one, especially if the trash hasn’t been picked up yet. Really, who care?!

If I had to pick a side I’d say not. Better to be safe than sorry. You never know how the owner feels about it.

I do not have a dog, although I want one!

However, I think I would be offended to have other dogs poop in my trashcan UNLESS it was trashday! 🙂

Any new runners out there? – you can follow me, or help me follow you!

I say go ahead and put it in the trash bin if it hasn’t been collected yet and it’s at the curb. I’d feel weird walking up the driveway to put it in the can so I wouldn’t do that. But if it’s at the curb and it’s clear the trash man hasn’t been by. Go ahead. I wouldn’t mind if it were my trash. I’d only care if you were snooping in my trash!

I know at this time you’ve already made up your mind, but I wanted to throw my two cents in.

I walk my dog and we use compostable Biobags made from GMO-free corn. Their website (last I checked) recommends putting the bags in the Green Trash Bins (for garden waste). Where we live, we don’t have one of these, so I kind of have to use the neighbor’s. In addition.. I usually don’t feel bad because we live in a canyon and almost everyone leaves their bins out.. if they don’t, then I make sure I put it in the ones I always see out on the street.
Ideally, I think you should throw it in your own bin.. but what if you’re out for a long walk? I can’t carry it for a long time, either. It’s stinky!

Ha, I love the 300+ comments on dog poop! I think it’s OK…a little doggy do-do never hurt anyone 😉

LOL, that is too funny. I always put it in a neighbor’s can! And the grilled sammie looks decadent!

I always throw poop bags in other people’s trash bins. Nothing wrong with it.

If you ever walk by my house on trash day (whether or not trash has been picked up) and my trash can is still out on the street, please feel free to dump your tied bag of dog poop in my can and continue on to enjoy your walk. I’m not going to act like my trash don’t stink!

I can’t believe the amount of discussion this topic has generated.
i live in Cornwall in the south west of the UK. Here people will throw their bags of dog poop into hedges and over neighbours garden walls sometimes or even worse tie the bags onto trees as a protest. I was so fed up with seeing the landscape being destroyed by these irresponsible dog owners that i invented a solution. We are currently looking to expand to the American market and from reading all your fantastic comment i think it is not a moment too soon.
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I’ve tried to do the same thing, but Brad won’t let me. Luckily when we’re uptown this isn’t a problem because there are trashcans everywhere. This may become more of an issue when we move to the new neighborhood.

I definitely think it’s wrong to put it in someone else’s trash can. After all, it is someone’s property and to put your own garbage in their property means to trespass and invade it. I would not recommend it. If somebody did that to me, I would feel highly disappointed and uncomfortable.

we live in an apartment complex so i put mine in a dumpster, but back when we lived in DC, both hubs and I were often guilty of putting them in other people’s trash can. Often, we’d shoot for the city trash can’s in the park or on certain blocks. But when they’re not near by, i’d stick them on top of a trash can next to the curb. So by all means…i say go for it 🙂