Moving to Canada? Want to take your dog along? Wondering if you’ll have to pick your dog’s poop?

Well, YES.

As per the Candian Public Health Association you are expected to cleanup after your dog. Most of the cities in Canada have by-laws in place which require dog owners to pick the poop. So be ready for it if you are getting your furry friend along.

I recently moved to Canada from a place where I never had to bother about my dog’s poop. My dog could poop whereever he pleased – in the middle of the road, my neighbours’ lawn (thanks to late Jhajj Uncle who never objected), anywhere in the public park in front of my house and i never had to do anything about it.

I am sure Indian cities also have similar by-laws in place but who worries about one pet dog’s poop when there are 10 stray dogs adding to the pile of free manure supply.

But when I thought of moving my dog to Canada I knew things will be different here and I was prepared for it. I bought a full year’s supply of poop bags, saw a few videos on youtube and I was ready for the pick of the day.

The first day when I took my dog out I tried to keep him away from street – in the greens or the woods so that no one could see me in the act. I admit I was a bit embarised, but I knew that the deed had to be done. There are things we need to learn to adapt to a new way of life, in a new place, a new world. The first pick went pretty good, there was no mess and I dumped it in the garbage bin successfully.

After a few picks I realised that if you breathe in just in time and stop there…..you can save your nostrils from the aromatic fumes of your dog’s dump. Infact you have to stop your breath long enough to pick the poop, roll back the pop bag and tie a knot to it. Its quite an art I tell you.

But it is a good skill to master for two reasons;

One, if you don’t want to faint by the smell of your dog’s mutton biryani by-product.

Second, if you want to practice for a freedive into Mariana Trench.

I have pretty much mastered this art now, not that i am going to dive into Mariana Trench but I don’t want to smell mutton briyani after its has travelled through the entire length of Lemon’s interstine (my pooch).

For those who are yet to experience the warmth through the thin walls of the bio-degradable poly poop bags, it not a big deal. You can manage it pretty well even if you have never done it before.

The otherside is not so green….

Over the past few months here in imported Punjab, I mean Brampton, I have noticed –

People don’t pick their dog’s poop. This stretch of street from Castlemore to Almond Street on Clarkway had about 20 poop spots one day. On a stretch of about 100 mtrs – there were 20 spots. It felt like I wasted my money for no reason on the year long supply of poop bags. Instead, I should have invested in real estate. One day I even saw someone put a sticker on the wall saying “People who own dogs please pick your dog’s poop”. I once saw a fellow person from my community just walking away without practicing the breathing ritual. I think thats why he had a bigger house – he did not waste money on the poop bags.

Anyway, I continue to pick my dog’s poop. Whether someone is watching or not, whether its in broad daylight or in the shadow of Aurora Borealis. What needs to be done, needs to be done.

How to pick poop without fertilizing your hands – You can use the following options:

1. Poly bags – They are the most convenient, require least amount of storage space. But when things get loose they can’t be used.
2. Scoopers – They are best if you want to maintain a distance or maybe have trouble holding poop in your fingers. But they are hard to carry around all the time. They are bulky to store and need to be cleaned. They come in all kinds of size.

Poop Bag – Dispenser

Here are a few things I learned over the course of the past few months. They can be helpful for those who are new, or plan to dive into Mariana Trench.

DO’s

• Buy Eco-friendly poop bags and buy with dispenser if you do not have it already.
• The dispenser should be such that you can hook it to your dog’s leash so that you don’t forget the bags when taking your dog out for a walk.
• After you fill them up, the poop bags need to go into the “Black” garbage bin or “Green” garbage bin.
• There are very few “black” or “Green” bins in public places especially on sidewalks. So be preapared to carry it back to home where you have both “black” and “green” bins.
• You may need a scooper if your dog had too much butter chicken the previous night. Things you can’t pick you have to scoop.

DONT’s

• Don’t leave the poop. Keep your city clean. Just like “Chandigarh”.
• Please excuse the “Blue” bin. You cannot put poop into it as it is only for paper. I myself dumped my dog poop into it many times untill one day when i realised there is a sticker on it which says “Only Paper”. And that makes sense as it is alway next to letter boxes.
• Please do not swing the poop bag around while walking back, you may end up in a shitty situation.

This is just my personal experience and learnings. Other dog/ pet owners please feel free to contribute and correct.

Poop samples or stool samples can also be used for diagnosis by vets in Brampton. So be ready to scoop if you need a sample.