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Dispensing of your dog’s poop may not be as easy as just throwing it in your trash can or flushing it down a toilet. If you are unsure, check with your local waste department to learn the acceptable methods of throwing away your dog’s poop. If you are at home, you can use your own trashcan to dispense of your dog’s poop. Keep in mind that your main trashcan could get quite stinky, especially if you keep your trash can inside or enclosed in your garage. To address this potential problem, you could keep a smaller, separate trashcan outside to collect your dog’s poop. When it is time to take your trash out, could transfer the dog poop to the larger trash can and set everything outside. If you are at a dog park or in another public area, you can find the nearest outdoor trashcan to throw away the poop. Dog parks usually have dedicated trashcans for collecting dog poop. Although the imagery may be quite unpleasant, it usually okay to flush your dog’s poop down the toilet. If you do this, make sure that you dump the poop out of the bag first. If you have a flushable doggie bag, you could put the entire bag and its contents in the toilet and flush.  Flushing may not be acceptable in your city, so check with your local waste department before using this method of pet waste disposal. If you have a lot of poop to get rid of, do not flush it all at one time. This could clog your septic system.  Be aware that flushable doggie bags may be expensive. This is an underground septic system, called a doggie dooley, that is specific for breaking down your dog’s waste. This could be helpful if you have your own yard. A doggie dooley is relatively easy to install, but you should consult with someone at your local pet store before installing and using one in your yard. Once you have installed the doggie dooley, you would follow the machine’s instructions to add water and a digestive powder to your dog’s waste. The waste would break down into an environmentally safe liquid that would be absorbed into the ground. If you are genuinely uncomfortable with picking up your dog’s waste in your yard, or are unable to do so, you can contact a pet waste disposal service that can remove it for you. Your veterinarian may be able to recommend reputable services. You could also talk to other dog owners for recommendations. Keep in mind that these services may be expensive. Several potential methods of disposal are not appropriate due to public health and environmental concerns. For example, you should not leave simply your dog’s poop in your yard to break down on its own. Not only would the poop begin to smell and attract flies (especially in the warmer months), it could contain bacteria and parasites that would be harmful to dogs as well as people.  In addition, your dog’s waste could get swept into storm drains and eventually end up in local water sources if you leave the poop in your yard. Composting your dog’s waste is also not advisable because the compost pile would not get hot enough to break down the bacteria and parasites that may be in the poop.  Burying your dog’s poop could also expose the local groundwater to pathogens, making this an undesirable method to dispose of it. Even with proper precaution with keeping your hands clean, you may still get bacteria on your hands when picking up your dog’s waste. Frequent hand washing is an effective way to avoid spreading these germs.

Summary:
Learn your city’s rules for throwing away dog poop. Throw your dog’s poop in a trashcan. Flush your dog’s poop down your toilet. Install a pet waste septic system. Call a pet waste disposal service. Learn which methods are inappropriate for waste disposal. Wash your hands.