Click on the photo to view the post with instructions on how to make your own community poop bag share station.

Just a few days after I revamped my neighborhood poop bag dispenser, it was completely full of shared bags.

Typist: BethanyIn July, I revamped the homemade poop bag dispenser I had put up on our Seattle street last year. I also put two new community poop bag share stations nearby, one at the park and one on a neighbors fence post (per the neighbors request.) Just like the do-it-yourself poop bag holder I put up last fall, the two new dispensers took a little while to catch on. I am pleased to share that bothre-purposed materials poop bag holders have been pleasantly filled for a while now and Jason and I have definitely noticed less poop on the ground nearby.

These overwhelmingly positive results have not been without risk. The original utility pole poop bag dispenser that I put up is technically against City of Seattle code. I kept a close eye on it to make sure that it hasn't been an eye sore, made or turned into litter, which I believe is the main intent of this law. Also, for the safety of utility workers, I cleared old staples and nails from the pole when I put the poop bags dispenser up and when I re-did the station. Obviously, if it was removed or I was asked to take it down, I would. I couldn't find any city park regulations about putting the poop bag share station up in the park, I was fully expecting city park workers to remove it. However, that station was also one I was most hoping would catch on. The third homemade dispenser that is on private property was the least risky I installed but I feared it would not be used. In a passing conversation with the neighbor, I found out a poop bag holder attached to her fence post might help in keeping the public space behind her property cleaner. It's worked!

Completely filled fence post poop bag holder. There is noticeably less poop in the surrounding area since this station was installed.

Community poop bag share station at a city if Seattle park...

..generously filled with many rolls of bags to help all responsible dog owners scoop that poop.

Bring poop bag share stations to your neighborhood. Have you tried adding a community poop bag share station in your neighborhood?A lot of readers have expressed concerns that their cities or neighborhoods might not allow such scoop that poop reminders. Here are some suggestions to help clean up your neighborhood, provide poop nags for those who might occasionally forget or run out (it happens to the best of us!) and spread the Scoop That Poop word:

Know the law. Check your neighborhood rules and laws about posting signs and items. If you are not allowed to install neighborhood poop bag share stations on public property, add them on private property. If you put a successful station in your yard, other neighbors might want them in their yards too.

Change the rules. Attend neighborhood, park or city meetings. If city, park or neighborhood officials know the importance of adding community poop bag share stations to your streets or parks, they can create an allowance. Perhaps you can get them to allow one as an experiment (like I did with my first one.) It could prove a poop bag share station can help and not look ugly. Personally, I think anything looks better than poop on the ground!

Seek allies. If you work with other neighbors either to change the rules to allow poop bag dispensers to be installed or to put community poop bag share stations up, more people will learn how important it is to clean up after their dogs. Talk to other dog owners on your street, ask neighbors whose yards often have a lot of poop, or pass out flyers to find other neighbors that agree your neighborhood would benefit from a poop bag exchange. The neighbor whose fence post I put a poop bag dispenser on does not have dogs but has been pleasantly surprised by the results of the poop bag holder. I soon hope to find more neighbors willing to host community poop bag share stations.

The laminated waterproof paper signs do not last long but the taped over paper on the re-purposed water bottle have lasted through all seasons.

With the weather in Cascadia rapidly turning more wet and cold, it is the season of more and more dog poop getting left behind. That also means more disease gets washed into our fragile water ways. I hope to soon install a few more homemade poop bag dispensers around my neighborhood. Even the best of responsible dog owners forget or run our of poop bags every once in a while. It is possible for neighborhoods and parks to allow dog owners to help each other do what is best for the community and the environment and always, always scoop that poop.

Thank you to the Scoop That Poop hosts Sugar the Golden Retriever & My Pawsitively Pets. Please join us in raising awareness about the importance of picking up after your dog by joining the hop, clicking around the links below and/or sharing the #ScoopThatPoop wherever you can.

Nice to see that they are lasting well and working! I don't technically live in a neighborhood, although there are suburban neighborhoods surrounding our property. Most of the time, I see people carrying proper poop scooping supplies when they are walking and I don't recall seeing any stray piles lately. I guess they must have things under control over there thankfully!

Reply

Bethany

10/20/2014 10:00:47 am

Oh Good! Jason's parents live in a suburban development with strict rules about putting things like these stations up. Almost all the neighbors attend the community meetings though so everyone gets constantly reminded that scooping that poop is a paramount neighborhood rule. Maybe the suburban development around you is doing the same good spreading of the poop clean up word!

These poop bag stations are so clever! Great thinking, Bethany! I'm glad to hear they've been being used too, that's great! I've run out of bags before, it's embarrassing. I keep a roll of bags in every purse now and now that it's going to start getting colder I will be stuffing my coat pockets with them again, lol!

Reply

Bethany

10/21/2014 04:37:32 am

Thanks for the reminder to restock all my spare bags hide outs! After walking four dogs, my supplies were depleted. If I have ever run out of bags, I always go back for the poop pile. I just worry so much that someone will step in it before I get there but it makes for more speedy walking for the dogs and I!

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