Warning:  this article contains references to the bodily functions of dogs.  Finish anything you may be eating before continuing.

One of the reasons (among many) that I prefer dogs to cats is the relative ease in dealing with their...deposits.  With a cat, there's a plastic box of variable complexity, gritty chemical-enhanced sand, and scoopage to contend with - and all of that takes place inside your house.  A dog pees and poops outside, and all I need to do is re-seed the bare spots in the lawn each spring, and pick up the solid waste as it occurs and dispose of it.

The disposal is the tricky part - according to the City of Madison web site, "Dog/Cat waste will not be collected. Flush material down toilets or bury it."  So they don't want it in your tan cart - and even though the Madison Common Council recently passed an ordinance requiring plastic bags to be recycled, they don't want it in the green cart, either (only clean plastic bags can be recycled).

So what's a dog owner to do?  Some options include:

• Waste removal service - Hire someone to come on a weekly basis to pick up the dog poop in your yard and dispose of it properly (see related link).
    
• Mini-septic system - Install a poop-disposal tank in your yard to dispose of solid waste (without bags) where it decomposes and leeches into the groud (see related link).
    
• Train your dog to use the toilet - Not for beginners, and puts you back in the position of having an animal that pees inside.  Also, if you have a male dog, he may forget to put the seat down when he's done.

However you decide to deal with disposal, the important thing is to pick it up!