# I'm going to make a dog septic system this weekend!



## AllieBaba (May 24, 2011)

I haven't picked up poop yet out of the yard so I know it's time, lol...haven't had dog crap tracked in yet but I know it will happen if I don't get on the ball.

I remembered that an elderly lady down the street from where I grew up had two dogs and a fenced, landscaped yard...and she used a system called "Doggie Dooley". I remembered seeing the top of it.

So I googled it, and sure enough, it still exists! And it's cheap! But what is even better...I continued to research and I can make my own out of a garbage can and some Rid-X! I'm kind of excited, but I will probably need a pickaxe to dig the hole...I think our soil (what there is) drains well enough...but it's full of rock. I mean full. Not like solid rock, but rock and soil...which is really great for septic but not so fun for digging by hand.

Thankfully I have a stout 7 year old boy who would like nothing better than to be given a shovel and a pickaxe and told "Dig a big hole".

Kids are great.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ43r3sQZnM&feature=share]YouTube - &#x202a;DIY Backyard Pet Waste Digester&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]


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## AllieBaba (May 24, 2011)

Holy crap! A garbage bin with a tight fitting lid is $38 at my non-local hardware store. 

Where is a holy garbage can when you need one?


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## Ravi (May 24, 2011)

Why not just throw it in the trash?


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## Big Black Dog (May 24, 2011)

Ravi said:


> Why not just throw it in the trash?



I never agree with Ravi about anything but this time she is correct.  Why not throw it in the trash?

Note to self:  The only thing I have ever agreed with Ravi on is dog poop.


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## Ravi (May 24, 2011)

Big Black Dog said:


> Ravi said:
> 
> 
> > Why not just throw it in the trash?
> ...


Hey, it's a start.


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## AllieBaba (May 24, 2011)

Because I have a Saint Bernard, and no garbage service. Most garbage companies ask that you not throw shit in with the garbage, though I doubt that would be an issue here....my issue is I don't want bags containing vast amounts of crap sitting around my house waiting for me to transport it in my car to the transfer station. There are only 2 days available for dumping, and sometimes I go a week or two without going because I'm not here.

So...I am going to make a dog septic system....don't try to dissuade me, my mind is made up.


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## Care4all (May 24, 2011)

make certain it is at least 100 feet from your fresh water source if you have a well!


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## Ravi (May 24, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> Because I have a Saint Bernard, and no garbage service. Most garbage companies ask that you not throw shit in with the garbage, though I doubt that would be an issue here....my issue is I don't want bags containing vast amounts of crap sitting around my house waiting for me to transport it in my car to the transfer station. There are only 2 days available for dumping, and sometimes I go a week or two without going because I'm not here.
> 
> So...I am going to make a dog septic system....don't try to dissuade me, my mind is made up.


Ah....that makes sense. I didn't realize you were so rural that you had to haul your own trash.

And Care is right, don't let it contaminate your well.


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## Zoom-boing (May 24, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> *Holy crap*! A garbage bin with a tight fitting lid is $38 at my non-local hardware store.
> 
> Where is a holy garbage can when you need one?



You have a Saint Bernard . . . . what other kind of crap _could_ it be?


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## AllieBaba (May 24, 2011)

Well you guys guilted me into it...I went out into the yard with my bag and picked up all the crap that has accumulated over the last few weeks. And now I have a big bag (3 lbs maybe) of crap sitting in my garage.

But at least it isn't in the yard, waiting to insinuate itself into the cracks of my kids' shoes, toes, and other body parts. 

On the good side, what a nice day. And I was able to keep an eye on the little darlings while they rode their bikes. In fact, my presence made it sufficiently boring for them (unable to escape the .... BOUNDARIES....) that they came in. Counting down the minutes until dinner...baths...and bed time!!


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## Grace (May 24, 2011)

We don't have trash service either. Ex takes it to his work place and tosses it in their dumpster (with their permission). I do poop patrol 2 times a day. But now that I have chickens, I have more to rake up which is mixed with pine shavings along with chicken poo. It all goes in one big container, double bagged, then in his truck, then off to his work place.


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## SFC Ollie (May 24, 2011)

Thank goodness for trash pick ups....

I clean once a week and it goes right into the trashcan out behind the garage until Sunday night when it goes to the street for early morning Monday pick up. And Colonel has got to be as bad as a Saint Bernard.


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## AllieBaba (May 24, 2011)

Oh and we don't have a well, nor do the neighbors. At least not my close neighbors.


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## AllieBaba (May 24, 2011)

I have a dream....






How to Design a Septic System for a Dog Shelter | eHow.com


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## Zoom-boing (May 25, 2011)

We inadvertently trained Penny to only poo and pee in one area of our yard.  

We have a 15' (maybe 20') leash attached to the fence post and it just reaches the back door.  We hook the leash on her collar and she can go over to the fence -- to watch for bad dogs having a nice walkie so she can bark at them -- and a nice area of yard for her bathroom.  That everything is always in one area makes poopy scooping so much easier and no stepping in it in some random place in the yard.

Yes, yes I know you're thinking 'why Zoom, what a clever girl you are training your dog to only go in a certain area'.  Uh . . . no.  It was nothing more than sheer laziness on our part because no way were we going to walk her _every time_ she needs to go.  

I like the idea of a dog septic system though.  Good luck with it, Allie!


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## AllieBaba (May 25, 2011)

I'm still reeling that a trash can is $38. Fucking highway robbery.


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## FRIKSHUN (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> I have a dream....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You could drill holes in it to circulate air and throw all your food scraps, grass clippings and anything your dog shares for your son to pick up and Waaaaaa Laaaaaaaaaaa (compost).... I'll give your son 30 min. if that and he'll think of something else that he would rather be doing. lol


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## Grace (May 27, 2011)

I've been debating on doing this myself. Keep us updated on how it works out. Concerning trash cans....check craigslist. Or go to a local hardware store and ask them if anyone returned one due to a hole or a crack or a leak. You might get it free, or at their cost.


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## FRIKSHUN (May 27, 2011)

Or you could just drive  4 post's in the ground and wrap some chicken wire around it and tie it off, you would have plenty of air that way too.  Then take your pitch fork and stick it in holes occasionally to kind of pick it up and stir it around.  If you don't have a pitch fork you could use something else like a hoe.  You would have the makings for the start of great garden after a year of letting that air out.


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## AllieBaba (May 27, 2011)

Unfortunately, no garden. I have a black thumb...we also have a really short growing season, nuisance deer, digging dogs, and oh yeah I have a black thumb, lol. 

I'm on the prowl for a holy trash can. I threw away 2-3 last year that started out as water receptacles for my horses...then they sprung leaks so they were relegated to feed bins...and eventually didn't work for that, either. I remember thinking, gosh, it's too bad I don't have a use for them as I tossed them into the truck bed at the transfer station...


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## FRIKSHUN (May 27, 2011)

Ok, that wouldn't work then.  Well best of luck to you with that!


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## SFC Ollie (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> Unfortunately, no garden. I have a black thumb...we also have a really short growing season, nuisance deer, digging dogs, and oh yeah I have a black thumb, lol.
> 
> I'm on the prowl for a holy trash can. I threw away 2-3 last year that started out as water receptacles for my horses...then they sprung leaks so they were relegated to feed bins...and eventually didn't work for that, either. I remember thinking, gosh, it's too bad I don't have a use for them as I tossed them into the truck bed at the transfer station...



The Freecycle Network


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## Ringel05 (May 27, 2011)

I love the fact when you look at the thread title on the main page all you see is:

*I'm going to make a dog...*


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## FRIKSHUN (May 27, 2011)

Ringel05 said:


> I love the fact when you look at the thread title on the main page all you see is:
> 
> *I'm going to make a dog...*



Me 2,,,, I had to check it out!!


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## Nosmo King (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> I'm still reeling that a trash can is $38. Fucking highway robbery.


Gee!  $38!  For a garbage can!  I guess it is what it is.  There has to be a solution, because there is a solution for every problem.

steal one from a neighbor a few blocks away.

A side note:  Daisy's deposits are about the same size and appearance as a Perodi cigar.  Stealth turds.


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## AllieBaba (May 27, 2011)

My pup is about 5 months old, probably 40 lbs, already bigger than most dogs. But I've been feeding high quality food, small feedings throughout the day, along with cottage cheese once or twice a day. His poop isn't too bad so far. It's really important not to feed crap food; it just comes out in almost the same volume.

The dogs like the cottage cheese, which is painfully expensive (I give him a cup or so a day). I tried buttermilk, which is a LOT cheaper, but neither of the dogs like it!


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## Nosmo King (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> My pup is about 5 months old, probably 40 lbs, already bigger than most dogs. But I've been feeding high quality food, small feedings throughout the day, along with cottage cheese once or twice a day. His poop isn't too bad so far. It's really important not to feed crap food; it just comes out in almost the same volume.
> 
> The dogs like the cottage cheese, which is painfully expensive (I give him a cup or so a day). I tried buttermilk, which is a LOT cheaper, but neither of the dogs like it!


As a six month old pup, Daisy turned her nose up at cottage cheese.  The one thing she has done that has actually SAVED me money!


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## Intense (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> I haven't picked up poop yet out of the yard so I know it's time, lol...haven't had dog crap tracked in yet but I know it will happen if I don't get on the ball.
> 
> I remembered that an elderly lady down the street from where I grew up had two dogs and a fenced, landscaped yard...and she used a system called "Doggie Dooley". I remembered seeing the top of it.
> 
> ...



Too much information.


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## AllieBaba (May 27, 2011)

Because saints grow so incredibly fast, it's super important to make sure they get plenty of calcium..and because they are subject to bloat, the culture is supposed to be good for them. I wish I had a goat! We had goats when I was a girl, and we milked them and fed the milk to the dogs, cats and chickens; we just fed a tiny amount of food to the dogs (none to the cats) and they were all fat, sassy, and incredibly SHINY. 

I want a nanny goat so bad...that will probably be the next addition to the compound.


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## Nosmo King (May 27, 2011)

Allie, 

Why such a big container (other than the potential size of the dog)?  I looked at the Doggy Dooley system and it looks more like a wastepaper basket than a garbage can.  Maybe a 13 gallon trash bin would be A) cheaper and B) easier to install.


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## AllieBaba (May 27, 2011)

Everything I've read from people with big dogs said that they bought the doggie dooley and it wasn't big enough to cope...it filled up too fast.

I think I probably could get away with a smaller one, but I'm not going to sink it all the way in. I checked out a lot of stuff and people who have more than one dog use the big size trash can.

It seems that this size is equipped to handle up to 5 kennels; but those aren't giant dogs, they're normal dogs, and that's a system that has a drain at the bottom of the *tank* and gets pumped out every year. I don't want to do any pumping. So I think this is probably about what I need; particularly since I occasionally have my sons here with their big dogs, and mom with her two little dogs. Just long enough to crap all over the yard where my dogs don't crap...everybody else's dogs poop right by the front...my dogs go over to the side and strategically hide theirs in the tall grass.


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## AllieBaba (May 27, 2011)

And yes we pick it all up; I have a high tolerance for mess and dirt, but not for dog poop.


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## xsited1 (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> And yes we pick it all up; I have a high tolerance for mess and dirt, but not for dog poop.



Dog poop can be handled using the lawn mower.


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## Nosmo King (May 27, 2011)

Let it turn white and get hard.

Come to think of it, that's one piece of advice that con be applied many different ways!


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## Mr Natural (May 27, 2011)

Why not just blast it with the garden hose?


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## Nosmo King (May 27, 2011)

Mr Clean said:


> Why not just blast it with the garden hose?


St. Bernard, my man!  I think you mean "fire hose"!


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## Mr Natural (May 27, 2011)

Nosmo King said:


> Mr Clean said:
> 
> 
> > Why not just blast it with the garden hose?
> ...



We had a golden retriever that used to leave some good sized bombs around.  Granted, not as big as St Bernard's, but still sizeable and a good blast from the hose got rid of them just fine.

Regardless of the size, dog shit is afterall very water soluable.


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## AllieBaba (May 27, 2011)

Yeah, the hose isn't going to get it..and it would take a long time to turn white and hard. I was feeling quite pleased with myself and my dog poop picking up adventures; well I hit the motherload (literally). The stuff I was picking up before was just Mylo's, I suppose...Klaus goes a little further afield and there was a LOT. I will continue to patrol over the next 24 hours and keep everyone posted, lololololol....

And Mylo was rolling on something...I went over there to see what it was and there was nothing; I thought she'd just found a nice bit of smelly dirt (she's a terrier, she reacts to things under the ground as well as on top of the ground) but when I saw her pick something up I ran over there pronto and she had a TEENY TINY NEWLY HATCHED BABY CHICK. It was disgusting, and (thankfully) dead...I grabbed it and flung it out into the road. I know, but it's tiny and I wasn't carrying that nasty thing anywhere.


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## Grace (May 27, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> Yeah, the hose isn't going to get it..and it would take a long time to turn white and hard. I was feeling quite pleased with myself and my dog poop picking up adventures; well I hit the motherload (literally). The stuff I was picking up before was just Mylo's, I suppose...Klaus goes a little further afield and there was a LOT. I will continue to patrol over the next 24 hours and keep everyone posted, lololololol....
> 
> And Mylo was rolling on something...I went over there to see what it was and there was nothing; I thought she'd just found a nice bit of smelly dirt (she's a terrier, she reacts to things under the ground as well as on top of the ground) but when I saw her pick something up I ran over there pronto and she had a TEENY TINY NEWLY HATCHED BABY CHICK. It was disgusting, and (thankfully) dead...I grabbed it and flung it out into the road. I know, but it's tiny and I wasn't carrying that nasty thing anywhere.



One time I caught my dog (now deceased) walking around, drooling, with his mouth half open. I thought WTF? and looked inside after about 20 minutes of him coming to me, drooling, then walking around in circles. Inside was a baby rat. A pinky. Very much alive. I tried to pull it out of his mouth but he wouldnt let me. Finally he laid down and nuzzled it. It was so small and pink, and he had long white hair. That baby rat would nuzzle into his fur and he would gently lick it. Then pick it up again in his mouth and walk around with it. Finally I cajoled him in to letting me have it. I put it back in with its mother. Must've fallen our of the nest she made. My son had two rats. One just had babies. 12 of them.


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## FRIKSHUN (May 27, 2011)

Grace said:


> AllieBaba said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, the hose isn't going to get it..and it would take a long time to turn white and hard. I was feeling quite pleased with myself and my dog poop picking up adventures; well I hit the motherload (literally). The stuff I was picking up before was just Mylo's, I suppose...Klaus goes a little further afield and there was a LOT. I will continue to patrol over the next 24 hours and keep everyone posted, lololololol....
> ...



The extraordinary scene was captured by photography 
student Casey Gutteridge at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire. 
The 19-year-old, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, who was photographing the leopard for a course project, was 
astounded by the mouse's behavior. 

He said: 'I have no idea where the mouse came from - he just 
appeared in the enclosure after the keeper had dropped in the 
meat for the leopard. 

'He didn't take any notice of the leopard, just went straight 
over to the meat and started feeding himself. 
'But the leopard was pretty surprised - she bent down and 
sniffed the mouse and flinched a bit like she was scared. 

'In the meantime the mouse just carried on eating like nothing had happened.. 

..but even a gentle shove does not deter the little creature 
from getting his fill... 
'It was amazing, even the keeper who had thrown the meat 
into the enclosure was shocked - he said he'd never seen 
anything like it before.' 
Project owner Jackie James added: 'It was so funny to see - 
Sheena batted the mouse a couple of times to try to get it away from her food. 
'But the determined little thing took no notice and just carried on.' 
Sheena was brought in to the Santago Rare Leopard Project 
from a UK zoo when she was just four months old. 
She is one of 14 big cats in the private collection started by 
Jackie 's late husband Peter in 1989. 
The African Leopard can be found in the continent's forests, grasslands, savannas, and rainforests. 
.....so the mouse continued to eat the leopard's lunch and show the leopard

who was the boss. Just proves no one can push you around without

your permission.


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## FRIKSHUN (May 28, 2011)

Grace said:


> AllieBaba said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, the hose isn't going to get it..and it would take a long time to turn white and hard. I was feeling quite pleased with myself and my dog poop picking up adventures; well I hit the motherload (literally). The stuff I was picking up before was just Mylo's, I suppose...Klaus goes a little further afield and there was a LOT. I will continue to patrol over the next 24 hours and keep everyone posted, lololololol....
> ...



Pleasantly 
Its amazing the sense or instincts that animals have.


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## Ernie S. (May 28, 2011)

I have a septic system and I have installed a tee where the waste pipe enters the tank. On the vertical branch I put on a length of PVC with a threaded cap that is a few inches above grade. This is primarily used for a waste hook-up for my RV, but it occasionally gets used for dog crap.
I wish I could train them to crap down the damned pipe or at least closer to it.


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## FRIKSHUN (May 28, 2011)

You should be thankful that you arent raising a cow in your back yard.  lol


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## percysunshine (May 28, 2011)

AllieBaba said:


> I have a dream....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Man, I bet that sucker stinks when you open the lid to deliver the next donation.


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