Dog Poo Composting??

[MorningGlory]

I was just watching a tv show ( they made a little doggy oasis in the back yard...it was VERY nice!!) Anyway, they showed a doggy-poo composting...has anyone done that before?? They basically just dug a hole, add rocks to the bottom for filtering, than layered with straw and lawn waste, than the poo goes on top. I just wondered if it had to be emptied so often, or does it get smaller when decomposing?? I read on a website (which I will post at the end of this blurb) that you can also add septo-bac (sp??) to help with the process...I guess it would be good for flower beds? I just wanted to hear peoples opinions, or experieces! Thanks!!

http://homepage.mac.com/cityfarmer/PhotoAlbum22.html

[SunnyKS]

I saw an ad once for a composting system. It had a little swing door on top to put waste in and it was buried. It said it didn't work well in very cold temps. It also said that they way it turned to liquid and was then filtered into sand, then the ground that it didn't need to be emptied.

I thought it was brilliant but it was too expensive. I always have more time than money!

[pasomystic]

I have done that--not with a garbage can but with a perforated three foot wide five foot tall heavy plastic cylinder that I buried 4.5 feet deep. Had 6 inches of small round river rocks in the bottom, and gravel around the outside between it and the dirt. As long as it is deep enough, it will work in cold weather. It very much depends on where you live as to whether it is a good idea. In a small town rural area it works.
In a larger town or city, bagging the poo and putting it in the garbage works better. [By this I mean what I do here--I have a gallon bucket with a plastic bag lining it sitting under an upturned 5 gallon bucket with a pooper scooper beside it. Lift off 5 gallon, flip piles into bag, replace cover. Tie shut when full and add to large garbage bags just before putting them out for garbage pickup. Have never had a problem with the garbage man, so must be working. ]
On a farm, a separate compost area for dog leavings works fine--that can just be a heap layered with garden waste or old hay etc between dog deposits.

The only real problem is getting the piles picked up between snow storms in winter--spring is always a bit of a work out for those you missed with two large dogs in a small yard!

Forgot to add--I built an insulated wooden top that fit the top of the "pit" and had an "air" line of black poly vinyl pipe coming out of the lid with a little chiminey cap type of roof over it. The pit needs air to work--see why the bagging in town is better?

[MorningGlory]

Right now we have two Danes, and a Dalmatian (my back yard is a daily land mine threat ) Right now, I just use a plastic bag, and throw it in the garbage, but I thought it would be better to compost it...I do live in Canada, so -30 something is normal in the winter months ( Dec - March or so). If it's dug further than the frost line in the ground (I can't remember what it's actually called), it should work through-out winter, right?? I live rural town, so have a large yard. Also, would it work better in wetter soil, or dryer?

[SunnyKS]

Regular human septic systems with laterals (chambers for the waste to filter into the ground) only work in soil that drains well. If you have too much clay you have use a lagoon type systems. I'm sure the same rules would apply here.