Environment

Doggie Litter Boxes Downtown

by Miss604 | July 30, 2007 at 10:40 am

933 views | 5 Recommendations | 5 comments

I saw this "litter box" for pets outside of a downtown Vancouver apartment building yesterday. It was filled with pellets, probably made of sawdust, and the sign on the back said to dog owners to please use this instead of the lawn. It's the first time I've ever seen anything like this, I was interested to find out more immediately.

I always thought that pet waste would be good for a lawn, you know some kind of natural fertilizer. Apparently I was wrong. I caught a commercial the other day for a lawn care product that can re-grow grass... even on concrete!. During their spiel they mentioned that it will even regrow pet-stained lawns. Pet-stained lawns?

It seems as though I was only thinking about #2, which does actually make grass shoot up all nice and thick, but if you're a pet owner in Vancouver, you know that leaving said #2 on someone's grass or on any grass for that matter, can get you a fine and a lot of nasty glances [See Vancouver's Animal Control ByLaw]. So if that isn't the problem, what is?

"Lawn burn is a common problem that results when the urine of your dog burns the grass in your lawn. If you have ever had to deal with this problem, you know how frustrating it is and how difficult it can be to prevent. Lawn burn is a common problem that results when the urine of your dog burns the grass in your lawn. If you have ever had to deal with this problem, you know how frustrating it is and how difficult it can be to prevent. [PetEducation]

Dog urine. That's right, it's no good for grass and I suppose it makes sense. It's not like a pet owner can collect that in a nice little baggy to throw away later on. This is apparently such an issue that when I googled "Pet Stain Lawns" an abundance of "pee-be-gone" cleansers and sprays came up in the results.

"Pet stain repair!", "Green-um Pet Lawn Stain Stopper!", "Lawn Spot Away!" - this is quite the market. Even though I am a little late to the game - my excuse being a) I don't have a dog and b) I don't have a lawn - people are taking preventative measures to ensure the green, healthy, lushness of their yard remains intact. I suppose it's for the best, although I'll wait and see if these outdoor doggie litter boxes catch on in this city.

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kate

at 19:38 on July 30th, 2007

Great story. How bizarre is that! Did you see only one?

Miss604

at 17:44 on August 9th, 2007

Yeah I've only seen the one so far... it's been a couple of weeks now

ScienceDave

at 21:04 on July 30th, 2007

...who cleans them?

I can only imagine the putrid smell of dog urine penetrating the surrounding area...remind me not to move in next door.

Jordan Yerman

at 09:26 on August 3rd, 2007

I picture some unwitting child going, "Look! A sandbox!" *shudder*

denseatoms

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 05:57 on August 31st, 2007

It may seem peculiar to flag a story about dog waste management as "Good Stuff," but the issue is an everyday quality of life concern [if not on the same level of importance as poverty and crime]. Different places have different solutions. For instance, there's my town of Beaufort, South Carolina, and its newly renovated Pigeon Point Park (no pigeons, many dogs).

I've posted a photo of Beaufort's "Dogspot" solution in the photo area above. There is one of these "stations" at two ends of the park. Dog owners make a glove out of the bag, pick up the droppings and then invert the bag for disposal in the dedicated barrel.

Most people have cooperated with this solution. It's a matter of pride in a ne park that kids and adults use all the time for play, parties and relaxation.

I walk my beagle there every afternoon. I've learned to bring my own bag to simplify the disposal "procedure" to just the pickup and dumping steps.