Poop Bags

Reading the comments at Amazon regarding dog poop bags is exhausting. Between the emotionally fraught ones, the lack of punctuation in many, the less than common spellings of words, and the occasional “these are poop bags, not cancer treatments, why are you arguing so much?” queries it’s almost impossible to come away with any useable facts. I’m going to set the record straight.

I have used no fewer than seven different brands of poop bags over the past five years of dog ownership, and an undisputed winner has emerged: “AmazonBasics Dog Waste Bags with Dispenser and Leash Clip.”

Here’s a link current as of this writing.

Also as of this writing, there are 7,770 reviews, and many are laugh-out-loud funny.

Do me and other dog park users a favor, buy a case or two of these bags right now. And, more to the point, use them.

What makes these bag superior? As of this writing here is a handy list:

• Big. These bags are big enough to handle the output of a 145 pound dog with room to spare.
• Rigid plastic. I was surprised to find these bags are low-density polyethylene which is often waxy and stretchy. These are both rigid and strong. I’m on my second case and so far have found zero instances of a failed seal along the bottom of the bag. Yes, I still check it every time.
• Opaque black. What is the thinking behind transparent pastel-colored lavender scented poop bags? I examine my dog’s poop when I collect it; I don’t need to revisit it in the bag. What? You don’t check your dog’s poop when you pick it up? I bet you’re also somebody who thinks they can protect their children from whooping cough with the power of love. 
• “Open this end” markings. It’s the little things in life that make the most difference. I appreciate the Amazon reviewer who points out “No longer do I look like an idiot trying to open the bag from the wrong end while my dog gives me that WTF look.”
• Clear, easy to find, divisions between bags on the roll. I don’t use a bag dispenser contraption, and so I have extra appreciation for the easy to see and easy to tear divider between bags on the roll.

Picking up after my ginormous dog is not the highpoint of my day, but it is essential to do. Anything that makes the experience easier is a plus from where I sit and these bags do just that.