Should dog doo be composted?

Fri. Mar. 13, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Should dog doo be composted?

There were so many folks out walking last weekend! Such a beautiful weekend with temperatures nearing 50 and 60 degrees!!! They were out with their dogs and their little baggies for pickup. At least most of them had a way to pick it up!

Gigi enjoying the sunshine! – this was not recent

There’s not much you can do about the discolored grass right now, we’ll talk about that in less than a month, but there’s poop detail. Those odd jobs not found right away have emerged!  With a scoop and a bucket, it’s off to work you go, hi ho! A question that comes up is whether dog poop can or SHOULD be composted. When I googled the question I got 670,000 hits. You do NOT want to know some of the answers!  People can be weird. (yes, my hand is raised too!)

You can compost dog poop. Should you compost it with your food and leaf material to use it on your veggie garden – absolutely not.

finished compost ready for garden bed

How about your perennials or shrubs? Well, I wouldn’t but click on this LINK from the USDA on composting it and where it could be used.  They offer a ton of information.

Check out information from gardeningknowhow also.

If you have ANY doubt about your dog’s health, do not compost their waste. Composting dog waste effectively and safely hinges on the constant high temperatures to kill dangerous parasites. If you are sure you have done this and have a safe product, you can add it to your garden as an amendment for ornamentals ONLY.