how bad is dog poop?

[lyra1977]

I saw that cat, dog and human poop is a "no no" for compost piles. So I went out and picked up "all" of the dog poop from our yard before I raked this weekend. But as I raked I kept uncovering more poop that was under leaves, etc. So I'm thinking that in my bags of leaves, ready to start composting, there is probably some poop that I missed. How important is it for me to separate it out if it's not very much? TIA!

[rainbowgardener]

I think that's probably one of those things that each person would have to answer for themselves, based on their own comfort level. It seems like the main concern with dog poop in the compost pile is the possible transmission of pathogens, parasites, etc. Here are some threads where this issue has been discussed:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=73964&highlight=dog+poop+compost#73964

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=60575&highlight=dog+poop+compost#60575

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=55124&highlight=dog+poop+compost#55124

[gixxerific]

I myself never have and never will. But with the links from Rainbowgardener you can make up your own mind.

I just leave it for the yard and not the garden.

[soil]

I wouldn't chance it, or if anything create another compost pile for ornamental plants, not food.

[rot]

..
It's doable but a pain in the butt. If you turn the pile or bin before it is really really really finished you have to wash off everything.

I do it on two year cycles - 6 to 12 months to feed and 12 to 18 months to finish. I don't turn it at all. It's slow and build over time. The new stuff cooks for something like 130 F for about a week the way I do it.

There are a lot of concerns about contamination and vermin and water drainage.

Can't recommend it. It's more of a means of digestion or disposal than a means of producing compost. I think that's the sort of thing that is better digested in compost than not but that's just me.

To sense
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