I don't use it. The dog poop attracts flies from a zillion miles away. I feel like I'm creating a disease pile.

Go ahead and use it as long as it is well covered with plant matter to hold down the smell and keep the flies at bay. I have two dogs and have had no problems composting their dung and it has been very benefitial to my cold hardy bananas and palm trees. Keeping the poop in the middle of the pile where it is hot helps too. Adding lime can help break it down faster too.

Be advised some DO NOT consider dog/cat feces safe in compost.
Lots of debate.
Research "plasmosis" for a start.
IMO,if you're using the compost on non-edibles,worry not.Otherwise,you need skill & knowledge.

If you are moderately serious about this you might be interested in a thread over on GW's Vermicomposting forum

Think of what goes on in Nature. There have been wild canines or their equal for millions of years. All that time, they've been simply dropping their feces into the waiting mouths of the assigned cleanup crews.

From 1963 to 1990, always had at least one dog here with a high of 3. None of their manure ever left the place. Kennels were right beside where the compost pile was and that's where everything ended up. Hasn't affected any of us yet, as far as I know!

If you have any feral or roaming neighbor cats, you may not have a clue as to what is often just under the soil surface of your gardens.

Martin

My dogs are disease free and are up to date on their shots. Both are kept inside most of the time to enjoy the pampered surroundings of a HVAC home. The dogs are never outside without supervision so I know they can't get into too much trouble. The food my wife feeds them is expensive, so I figure I need some ROI from them. I do make sure there is plenty of plant matter to mix the dog poop with and that it is well covered to prevent flies etc. Wild animal or feral cat poop would be a no no since I can't verify if it may have disease or not. A good hot pile would even take care of this in time though. I used dog poop infused compost one year on my cantelopes and they were the best we ever had. My cold hardy bananas well, go bananas for it and have grown 12 feet tall this season. If done correctly it should be no problem, but if not it could be a problem.

If done correctly it should be no problem, but if not it could be a problem.

nicely stated.

The reason no one that has closely studied the issue will recommend composting dog and cat feces is the pathogens, disease causing bacteria, they have that can be passed on to us. You may have your pets shots up to date and that is as it should be but the pathogens of concern are not those that would affect the dog, or cat, but that affect humans. Pets living close to us are carriers of many pathogens that are harmful to us, not the pet.

Making sure the pile is hot, well aireated, plenty of browns and greens and is a larger size will prevent patheogens from becoming a problem.

My cat uses my borders as his lavatory. Would I be better off putting his faeces in the compost bin than simply leaving them in the soil where he has left them?

Find a search engine, or go to the CDC, and look into "zoonoses".

I have read that, if done correctly, a hot compost cycle will kill pathogens of concern, but I have not taken the time to verify that all the stuff that may be in dog/cat poop would be killed.

s.

NEVER use the feces of cats or dogs, as pointed out, what they have in their insides is not for the likes of what's inside plants. DON'T use it. Garbage it.

Virginian, your compost pile will never reach the levels that its heat will kill the dangerous pathogens that are forever in such fecal matter.

Since this addition that is planned, is so minimal, it hardly is worth the words spoken here about why its use should be avoided.

Now human waste.....that's a different story...but there even, it has to go down the toi-toi, to a recycling center where it is put through a process and then, if the community has such a recycling center, you would be invited to go get some of the valued treasure.

But watch out, not even in such a process does it kill tomato seeds.

Rats stay well nourished by eating dog feces. Good enough reason for me to pick up after my pet.

I don't compost my little yorkies poop..
Lovelycherry

Ya, dogs have crapped all over the place without significant risk of disease. I doubt that composting some of it in a hot pile will result in an issue.

However, as kimmsr points out- your dog's health is no indication of what you could get from their feces. Start composting lots of it- now you have an increased biological load of potential pathogens. one or two landmines- no big deal. 17 a week from a husky (which is, I believe average # of movements for a dog)- now maybe that's a potential issue.

I compost my little shih tsu bombs in a separate long term pile that will be used for perrenials- just in case. I'm not squeamish about dogs or diseases in the least, either.

Water Pollution Linked to Dog Do

Pet feces are raising bacteria levels in waterways across the US.

Picking up after your pet has become increasingly important as scientists have linked high levels of nasty bacteria in streams and waterways to pet feces and owners who do not pick up after their pets. Although dogs are only one aspect of suburban America that causes water pollution, lawn chemicals and motor oils do not add disease-causing bacteria to our watersheds that can make people sick.

At some beaches dogs help raise the bacteria level so high that visitors cannot even go in the water.

Dogs harbor coliform bacteria which live in the gut. This group of bacteria includes E. coli, a bacterium that can cause disease, and fecal coliform bacteria which spreads through feces. Dogs also carry salmonella and giardia. Four out of every ten U.S. households include at least one dog, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. The association's statistics show that Americans owned 68 million dogs in 2000. Of that total, 45% were "large" dogs - 40 pounds or more.

I live in an area where we have an aquifer for our water.
The post about the leggionaires disease also tells me that it is important to keep as much bacteria out of the soil as possible.
cherry

re:"The post about the leggionaires disease also tells me that it is important to keep as much bacteria out of the soil as possible"

Good luck with that. Let us know how it works.

In the mean time I would add that most domesticated dogs are fed stuff that does NOT get digested, and I would consider the undigested "food" more hazardous than any pathogens in their poop. There are special enzymes that you can buy for "pit composting" of dog doo, and I have heard good things about it, if you want to try it.

If you have walked in a public park or on any suburban sidewalk you have stepped on the microscopic remains of decomposed dog poo, tracked it in your house, and probably rolled around in it when you played with your kids or your own dog. The world is FULL of bacteria, and that is simply a fact of life. So wash your hands with soap, garden with gloves, and don't walk barefoot in a place that you aren't sure about.

BTW-- legionella is a naturally occuring soil organism, transmitted through water or water droplets. You can minimize your exposure and vulnerability, but you will not eliminate it from the soil. More here: http://www.legionella.org/general_info.htm#n2

Well, Pablo, if that's your views on using what is diseased, then what can anybody say....except
GO FOR IT.

And when your plants come down with something---you will know its the plant's fault---a lousy nursery, bad water, a fox got into the chicken house.....take your pick.

You just know its not the dog poo.

I guess some people are not fond of picking up after their pets.
I live near/on the Long Island sound. Sometimes they close it to swimmers due to high levels of bacteria. I prefer to pick up my dog's poop rather then compost it.

Composting dog poop introduces harmful bacteria into the environment, that much I do know.
Where I live we have a pooper scooper law, not so you don't step in it but so it does not enter the water system.

This is a rather funny place to post.. Seems there is a steady crowd of people who quote others then belittle them.
I do so understand the lurkers.. of which I will now join.
Happy Holidays to all and to all a Goodnight! Cherry

What is the cause of Legionnaires' disease?

The bacterium responsible for Legionnaires' disease belongs to the genus Legionella. There are approximately 35 Legionella species known to produce the disease. Legionella species are commonly found in any aquatic environment. They can survive for several months in a wet environment and multiply in the presence of algae and organic matter.

Where are legionella found?

Legionella exist naturally in water and moist soil. They have been found in creeks and ponds, hot and cold water taps, hot water tanks, water in air conditioning cooling towers and evaporative condensers, and soil at excavation sites.

I plan to add my dogs droppings to the compost along with mine. I also plan on cleaning out some freezer burned meat and utilizing the nitrogen in it in my compost pile. We cause more pollution by flushing our poop than by composting it. Then we go out and spend money sometimes to aquire animal manure.. I think I produce some nutritiouys compostables I have been throwing away! Fido's poop is no more dangerous Than my own which I am not afraid of.

Besides considering doing what I posts I am also hoping it gives some of these Germ fearing maniacs somthing to think about...I could be your neighbor.

"And when your plants come down with something"

Trans kingdom disease spread. Umm ya, right.

Lovelycherry--don't stop posting because of what is probably a temporary attitude problem. It seems to happen around this time of year, as avid gardeners aren't able to spend as much time as they'd like gardening.

It's reeally a pretty good group most of the time. I try not to post in a manner I shouldn't, but every once in a while I realize I've let somebody or something get to me and end up apologizing afterward. Sometimes, the poster may be trying to be humorous and it just doesn't come off that way.

I usually just ignore it when somebody attacke or belittles me. If it's a one-time thing, I figure maybe the person just had a a bad day or misunderstood me or I misunderstood him/her. If it looks like a misunderstanding, I'll explain myself better, but if it looks like just lashing out, I let it go.

If somebody consistently attacks others, eventually somebody complains about it, and if it continues, GW bans them. I think many people are willing to put up with somebody who gets cranky if that person is also making good contributions. But I think the threshold is much lower for somebody who just contributes strife and discord.

Stick around. Post when you have something to say, or a question to ask.

You'll soon get good at filtering, so that you can internalize the good stuff and pile the . . . um . . . *manure* on the compost pile where it belongs.

So what are the options for dog poop?

Leave it on the lawn, or throw it under a perrenial: if there's a mulch there, or it's dispersed enough, then no big deal. My little fake dog's doo spread over probably better than an acre of my 2 acres, on grass and in the woods on a large hill with good drainage- no real issue. Larger dog, smaller yard, different drainage- the story changes.

Compost: If hot composting- it likely destroys pathogens. Despite the notion of one poster in particular that says that home compost is unreliable and doesn't get hot enough- with bvery little knowledge it is reliable and gets very hot. Is 155F peak and 140 for 2 weeks hot enough for you?

Trash: It goes to a landfill, along with other people's dog poop, and all sorts of nasty stuff in a concentrated site where it either gets petrified and preserved or leachate from the site is a SERIOUS cause of pollution.

Pit/enzyme composting: I dunno much about this, but the systems seem to be a good idea for those with lots of poop to deal with, and for anyone that won't be maintaining a hot or long-term pile.

Now- when I walk the pooches around the yard, we encounter deer, other dog, raccoon, cat, and small critter poop. The fake dogs like eating deer poop. I wouldn't have an issue with it, but I worry about them picking up parasites. Their little sub 2 oz. tootsie rolls aren't adding to the nitrogen and disease load in such a way as to make an impression, so I leave them where they are. Their own dumplings are a great point of interest for the dogs to find later "Yippee! Poop!". On my parents 1/8 acre, with a larger dog- I'd be opting for the dog waste compost system I suppose.

I am fortunate to live on 20 acres. The house area sits on about 2 acres. My recently passed black lab was considerate enough to go out to the pastures to do her business. However, I once lived in town and had two Siberian Huskies that were confined to the house and a smallish backyard. My best solution to the poo issue was to use the sprayer on the water hose and pulverize the poo into the ground. Never worried about stepping on it, and it completely disappears and feeds the lawn at the same time. I was able to do this year round, but you folks up north may not be able to. With my 4.5 pound yorkie, you'd need a magnifying glass to find his in my backyard.

I think using any kind of poo in the compost is a personal decision, and while I use a lot of horse manure, I wouldn't use dog poo.

Just my thoughts...
Kristi

Well if the Canadians are doing it, it can't be all bad: here are some instructions for building your very own pit poop composter (http://www.cityfarmer.org/petwaste.html ).

If you don't have access to the tools or materials, your local Petsmart may have this in stock (http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?cm_ven=null&cm_cat=null&cm_pla=unknown&cm_ite=null&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302033165&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441775483&bmUID=1165519422413#detail).

In both cases the poop is well below ground, and in both cases enzymes are added that appear to be the same stuff used in septic systems to degrade human waste. Essentially and for all intents and purposes, you are creating a mini septic system for your dog(s), with the same responsibilities for maintaining it. Considerably better than adding untreated fecal waste to the local landfill.

LovelyCherry; Please dont go away, if all the nice people go away we will be left with nobody posting but the arguers!

LovelyCherry, I again agree with the others here in the fact that we don't want to loose the good members. Please stay and keep posting.
As far as using pet poo in my compost, I have never done that. However when we have had large dogs here I have used a garden hose and a strong sprayer to wash it into the lawn. I have an uncle that does the same for his two German Shepherds. Let me tell you we both have very healthy lawns with little to no addition to store bought fertilizers. I worry more about the people adding store bought fertilizers and its effect on our water ways than I am about a few dog bombs left to compost down.
Sandy

This might be something to compost in a separate area and perhaps more for purposes of getting rid of it than using it. Maybe in a segregated, outdoor bin with some brown leaves and a lot of worms and just left alone?

Sandy, aside from the b.s. that is commonly suggesting that fertilizer will find its way into a water source, by depriving your lawn of what it feeds on, you are not giving the soil what can prolong its health.

Imagine what the farmers of this world would produce if not for the fertilizer they spread......millions and millions of tons of it. And the goodness from that ends up on your dinner table.

Now no one disputes the haphazard use of fertilizers can cause problems to surface water. But...are you a careless person.....would you throw onto your lawn unnecessary fertilizer that makes it green up fast, produces new growth and otherwise keeps the soil in a good healthy condition.

Dog poo...well...I can say its not for lawns...its not for much else other than throwing into the garbage. But, you wont believe me...so go ahead, throw on the lawn, water it in...it can only hurt.
And then you say, you wont use fertilizer.

One statement just goes directly agains the other.

"Dog poo...well...I can say its not for lawns...its not for much else other than throwing into the garbage."

and where does it go after someone puts it in the garbage?
especially when most who put it in the trash also nicely gift wrap it in plastic first.
I don't have a pet, and if I did I probably wouldn't put their waste in my compost pile but I would dig a hole and make a doggy cesspool so the pleasure of owning a pet wouldn't become a problem for someone else, somewhere else.
If it isn't good for where one lives what makes someone think it is better somewhere else?
This may seem like an attack, but be assured it isn't meant that way.
It's just to open a dialog to ask people to think about where their problems go when they place them at the curb.
If someone can recycle and take care of their own by-products , I feel for the benefit of all, they should.

Ok let me see now, not safe to use pet waste in the compost pile. Lets see
then these places must be wrong, lets all email them and let them know this.



Florida composting

Greyhounds love it




Rolling dog ranch

USDA!



I am sure there are thousands other out there, but I need to get things ready
here for me to go to work tomorrow.

Sandy

if you absolutely MUST dispose of dog waste in bags (and this may be the case depending on where you live, or other circumstances) you can get biodegradeable bags made of cornstarch. They don't begin to break down until they are exposed to moisture, and look just like regular plastic. We use these a lot.

A person needs to compost what they feel comfortable with. If you are not comfortable with poo in your pile, don't use it.

If you are looking for a way to dispose of pet waste and you feel comfortable composting pet waste, then go ahead and compost it. And understand that poo could be a potential vector for a disease or parasites. If you are comfortable with your piles ability to heat up to kill pathogens and you are diligent about proper hygene (washing your food and hands) then go ahead and compost poo.

I do find this comment on a compost forum a bit confusing.

"The post about the leggionaires disease also tells me that it is important to keep as much bacteria out of the soil as possible."

I think the post about leggionaires disease was to remind people to use proper hygene and precautions when handling the compost. Trying to keep bacteria out of soil is contrary to what composting is all about. As we are adding organic matter to increase microbial activity in the soil.

This question comes up every few months.

I would say, if you feel a need to ask, don't do it.

A great mystery to me is how people who have pets, especially cats that crawl all over the furniture and put their butts in your face, feel that they do not get microbes from the pet but that they will get microbes from composted pet waste, but that's for another discussion.

Comfort vs facts is what it comes down to. The fact is dog poop in a well made and kept compost pile is not a problem and I have used it for years even on my veggies in the garden....I have never been sick from it, nor have my dogs. Composting dog waste should be more accepted because it is safe and yet, the myth about it being unsafe persists.