Heart Breaking News at the Nature Preserves

Driving into the parking area of one of my favorite places to walk my dogs, I saw a big yellow sign with red lettering say "ALL DOGS MUST BE LEASHED"! I felt like I had been punched in the stomach and wanted to cry.

Of course all dogs should be walked with a leash for safety and good citizen reasons, but it struck me that we have no where to walk dogs freely so they can enjoy letting their limbs stretch; romp with their pals and just let lose. Over the past few years many of us who frequent the nature preserves in our area have been trying to educate other dog owners that having your dog chase other people, leaving poop all over and being aggressive to other dogs is going to get us kicked out of most of the parks.

There's not too much else to say right now. I just wish that the good dogs were rewarded with more freedom. Or that I could buy my own 100 acres and have a sign that says No Humans Unless Accompanied by Well-Behaved Unleashed Dogs.

Almost Recession Proof

http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2009/04/27/for-misspoop-business-is-good/

One of the points the article missed is that I have been in business for seven plus years. I actually cannot believe it has been that long and that my interest is ever growing. Years before starting MissPoop, I read all the books on finding your passion and the money will follow. I understood, but felt that you had to have good financial backing and a huge safety net before even allowing yourself the luxury of starting a business you would enjoy.

That's not true. It's not always comfortable being near the edge as I am sometimes financially, but it is a choice I made. There was no backing or safety net, just sheer desperation, tempered with the "do what you love" mantra. Only in the past few years do I breath more easily at night and don't worry over money (as much). I lost it all once or twice before, so my motivation is very strong to keep everything running efficiently and successfully.

More later - just keep in mind that hard work, motivation and a great sense of humor can take you a long way. If you are not laughing on the way to the bank, at least you're laughing.

I'm Not a Vegetarian....However

Did you know that 2600 gallons of fuel a year are saved by reducing one serving of meat per week per person. After reading these links and seeing the good we could do by reducing our meat consumption, it does make one pause and consider the option. For a real insight on the waste, read the second article to get a better feel on how all animal waste impacts our world. The bottom line is we must find good ways to recycle all waste.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/04/14/one_less_burger_one_safer_planet/

http://uwveg.uwaterloo.ca/index.php?page=env

There is a Lot of Money in Poop...

One of these days I will be very, very rich. Once I find the right market for dog poop.

The green business of pig poop. Pig farmers in Sweden are trialing a new network to sell the combustible gasses emitted by their fertilizer, raising cash and helping the environment.

http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=101475

Have You Fallen Head Over Heals Because of Your Dog?

While generally this is a behavior I encourage, the following article talks about the perils of falling over your dog. I stepped backwards last week to take a better look at a masterpiece in process and tripped over Sacha, my 100LB Golden Retriever. I grabbed his hair and was able to soften the blow - for me. He was crushed, but lived!

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/03/27/cdc-to-americans-dont-trip-over-your-dog/

Has Your House Gone To The Dogs?

I remember the days, long before I became MissPoop, I wore Laura Ashley, had friends to tea and my house was perfect. I had one dog, a fairly absent, soon to be former, husband and a pretty busy corporate career, so actually keeping the house clean and company ready was never a problem. My living room was pink and green and reminded me of a library where you could read Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. My dining room was gentile and simple and suited my china very well. Quiet was broken hourly by our grandfather clock - the one we bought as a wedding present to signify the timelessness of our wedded bliss (hmm). Occasionally the dog, Ben, would bark, but he was so sweet that we welcomed any behavior, good or bad, on his part. As long as he wiped his feet before entering the house.

Then things changed. The white, off-white and cream walls went to orange, rust, odd pine green and sun burnt yellow. Even the ceilings have colors and the second level of the house is primarily primary colors. The third floor master bedroom is a sanctuary in tropical blue and butter yellow with white trim. I don’t think, with the exception of the laundry room, that there is a white wall in the house. Bathrooms are a variety of greens, and one guest room is such an awful putty color you need to wallow in grief and despair. Rooms no longer kept their meaning. The living room became my studio, the downstairs family room became the winter dog/human dungeon and the awesome back family room that looked out to the woods became a passage way for our ever growing dog family and canine friends that run in and out over and over again.

I was not happy with the way things started to look, however, I could not be neurotic about how my house looks when I have too much else to do that I love. If I tried to wipe every muddy paw that entered my doors, I would be wiping till the day I die. My favorite decorating accessories are now Overstock.com deals, things you could throw on top of something else to hide dirt, dog hair or worn out furniture. I started going to the library to read and eat in the car – ok – it wasn’t that bad! I realized I love where I live and my house is fine, I just didn’t enjoy being in most of the rooms anymore.


At a business meeting I overheard some women talking about having their houses “restaged” for no other reason than to freshen it up while not breaking the bank. Staging is done for selling houses, but to make what you have seem new and exciting? And what is “not breaking the bank”? After hearing more people talk about having their houses done by a woman they all adored, I had to call and find out if she could make my house a home once again.

We are still in the process, painting yet to be done, but I feel as if I moved into a new, yet familiar home. Without buying one thing so far, we have rearranged art that I can actually see to appreciate, moved furniture out of rooms and into other rooms, giving the rooms and furniture new life, and the flow is gracefully and airy. I cannot explain in this short space how excited I am. Even the dogs seem to appreciate the new arrangements and actually sit on the floors more often than not. And even with more sessions with Joanna, the bank is not close to being broken. The best part is that Joanna is also a dog owner so she understands the importance of having a home where dogs and men can also feel welcomed.

I probably won’t go back to hosting tea parties, but I now enjoy inviting people over again. If you even have the slightest interest in redoing your home, give Joanna a call before anything else. Joanna Elfering is an interior designer by trade and has done some wonderful home designs, but what I love best is how she saved my house from the dogs and the dogs from me! Joanna Elfering – Finest Home Staging and Interior Design – can be reached at 610-220-6880 or Joanna@elfering.com

What Do I and American Craft Have in Common?

Taking a break from poop scooping in the pouring rain, I stopped in at Barnes and Noble to read art magazines. The latest issue of American Craft has an interesting article on toilets designed by Virginia Gardiner, who uses horse manure. http://www.americancraftmag.org/article.php?id=7286

The title of the article In Praise of Poop is misleading because it is not poop that Gardiner utilizes, it is horse manure. The difference is important to understand because human feces, much like dog feces, contains bacteria that is harmful to both the environment and to other humans and dogs. As carnivores, we produce a different quality of excrement than horses, who live primarily on hay, carrots, apples and a few Milky Ways on occasion.

As an artist I understand Gardiner's interest in utilizing one medium to create another medium that may have both a social and environmental statement. More interesting is her desire to create waterless toilets that can be used in underprivileged countries as a solution. See her link on that problem: http://excrextra.com/

If there were a way we could develop a cost effective and sanitary manner to reuse dog feces, we (the team who creates the solution) would be very wealthy. Anyone out there with ideas, let me know. I have been studying waste management in pursuit of a realistic and safe solution, but not as art. I think I will stick with pastels.