Dog droppings on the ski trail

At our ski trail system, there is a designated trail where dogs are allowed to run along with the skiers.  Along with lots of other "dog people," we ski that trail a lot.  Actually, our dog insists!  It's a lot easier to live with a dog who gets plenty of exercise.

However, one of the less attractive aspects of living with dogs is the issue of cleaning up after them.  In town, we use plastic bags that end up in the land fill.  I've been reading recently about various options for disposing of the dog poop.  Ideally, we should use re-usable bags to transport the poop to our toilet, after which our municipal system would deal with it.  In the bush, far from human population, burying it seems like a good way to dispose of poop to minimise the chance of spreading any disease.  Of course, in winter it isn't so easy to bury anything.

I'm not very squeamish, but finding dog poop all over the trail is pretty disgusting!  Now I bring a plastic gardening trowel that I carry in a homemade holster bag next to my fanny pack.  This way I can scoop it up and either toss it deep into the bush or bury it out of the way.  Sure beats trying to use a stick and a lot less messy!  Every time we ski there, my wife stops and points to waste left by other dogs for me to scoop.

If anyone has a better solution, leave me a comment.  I was talking to a fellow who helps mow around the ski area parking lots after the season ends, and he said the worst method for cleaning up after our dogs is when people use bags but then leave the bags in the parking lot.  He said in spring there are hundreds of stinky bags which get caught in his mowers.  We can at least do better than that!

Copyright 2013 Paul Larsen

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