Doggie Dooley Septic System (poop, cost, kennels, best)

[Mugsy]

We bought one online and so far so good. The thing is installed in our side yard and we add dog poop every day with warm water and enzymes every couple of days.

No smells, a great remedy for our 3 large breed dogs!

[skelaki]

Originally Posted by Mugsy

We bought one online and so far so good. The thing is installed in our side yard and we add dog poop every day with warm water and enzymes every couple of days.

No smells, a great remedy for our 3 large breed dogs!

Had one years ago. It worked well also. Good to hear they're still a good quality item.

[Va-Cat]

How big are your dogs? We thought about installing one but were afraid that the volume from our three 70 lb+ dogs might exceed the capacity. I do cringe (and hold my breath) when using our current system of a poop bucket (bag lined, aluminium trash can with lid). By day 3 of use, the smell when you lift the lid can knock you back 10 feet during the hot Houston summers.

[StarlaJane]

I have always wondered about these; I'm glad to hear that it is working out for you b/c I love the idea. When I do pick up after my dog (when she doesn't go out to an empty field that is adjacent to my apartment), I always cringe thinking about non-biodegradeable plastic bags filled with dog excrement just sitting in a landfill somewhere. Not to mention the smell emitting from the containers; I always try to stand downwind of them and hold my breath if I have to go near it.

This is a great, environmentally-friendly solution for people who have to pick up after their pooches, although I do wonder about the cost, as the ones I have seen advertised are pricey.

[foxywench]

we made our own, with 5 small dogs and 1 small-medium one in the family the normal dooleys wernt big enough and very expensive so we made one similar to whats used in some kennels...

heres what we did...
big plastic trashcan (of course you can use one that works for your dogs, 1 small dog, a bathroom sized waste bucket would be fine). cut off the bottom completly and drill 1 inch diameter holes about 1/4 way up the sides from the bottom.

now your "septic tank" is made its time to get the shovels out, you want to dig a hole like you would for planting a tree, make the hole 1 1/2 times bigger than the can (you want a good 6inches on all sides between the trash can and the dirt wall. and at least 12 inches deeper than the can your using.

now take cheap gravel/rock fill, larger sized rough rock (same as they use in drainage ditches is best) and fill the hole to the point where when you put your tub in the lip of the tub sits 2-3 inches above ground level.
once your deep enough set your "septic" (trash can) in the center of the hole and fill up around the sides with more of the drainage rock, you want to stop when your about 3 inches below normal ground level, then backfill the remaining 3 inches with the dirt you dug out and make it flush with the ground.

once finnished all you should see is the top 2-3 inches and the lid of the trashcan.

now toss in dog poop as you pick it up and add water you want the water to completly cover the poop the idea being your making a minature septic system for your pets.
you can use the enzymes sold for the dooly system, or just use the ones made for human septic sytems...
as time goes on the poop will break down and the water will wash eveything down through the drainage gravel and back into the earth.

these systems do NOT work in winter in areas where the ground freezes, you need the drainage for it to work properly, if the liquid you add freezes the system cant "digest" and leech.

we used a huge outdoor plastic trash can and even with it sitting none working but being filled in the winter, we still havent been able to fill it in 3 years!
because it freezes though each spring (usually I) end up once its thawed out taking a LONG stick and giving it a good stirr with some HOT water to get things digesting again, but thats only because its sat for about 3 months with no movement.