Where do you dump your dog poo bag?

The subject of dog poo, and whether it gets picked up or left behind, has long been the cause of neighbourhood angst. But now an even more complex issue is dividing community forums across Brisbane. POLL

How to dispose of your dog’s poo is an issue sparking much comment in Brisbane community groups.

It’s one of the great ethical questions of our time and it’s right up there with such existential matters as …”To be or not to be?”.

The question is … should you put your bagged up dog poo in someone else’s bin? If you’re a dog owner this is something you will have grappled with and possibly done some deep soul searching about. Bins are for rubbish, after all but …

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Some folks who have been caught in the act of doing this have faced the ire of homeowners who see their bin and their rubbish as exclusive.

To be fair I have put our dogs business, suitably bagged up, in bins by the kerb in our neighbourhood but only prior to them being picked up.

To do so after they have been emptied might be a bridge too far but I know some people might feel free to do that too.

Should you put your dog poo in a foreign bin?

I have been known to go out clandestinely in the dead of night to put rubbish in other people’s bins when ours is full and I know it will be collected next day. But the fact that I do so under cover of darkness in a Ninja-like operation only goes to show that I feel guilty about it and that, if caught, there may be a problem.

There’s an hilarious episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry David, walking past a house puts some rubbish in someone else’s bin only to be abused by the homeowner.

Larry remonstrated with the bloke that it was a rubbish bin and it should be suitable for anyone’s garbage but the bin’s owner didn’t see it that way.

In Brisbane I kind of assume that bins are really Brisbane City Council property so maybe anyone should be free to use them, although I’d be keen to get some legal advice on that weighty matter. The fact is some people jealously monitor their bins.

As for putting dog poo in someone else’s, well, that’s problematic. In fact the whole issue of dog poo is.

There are people in our neighbourhood who watch dog walkers closely to make sure they pick up their pooch’s barker’s eggs. We carry two dog poo bags with us whenever we walk our Maltese Shi Tzu Sarge.

Ken Drake of Zoo Studio shooting Phil Brown’s dog Sarge for posterity: Russell Shakespeare

I forgot a second bag on one occasion and quickly scooted away from the scene of the crime. I have even been known to drive back afterwards and pick it up, guilt ridden.

It’s galling to come out from of the house and find a deposit on the grassy verge just near the car. I suppose one could set up 24-hour security cameras to catch someone in the act but I can’t be bothered with that. Although I know some people can.

Think about that if you’re considering of putting your dog poo in someone else’s bin. You may be on candid camera.

Maybe ask yourself … what would Albo do?

Anyone who watched the election will know that the PM has a small fluffy dog so this is an issue he will be across although it wasn’t mentioned in the election campaign. Maybe it should have been?