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A pooper-scooper, or poop scoop, is a device commonly used by dog owners to pick up their pet's fecal matter, so that it is not left in public or inappropriate places. Pooper-scooper devices often have a bag or bag attachment. Poop bags are alternatives to pooper scoopers. A bag used by dog owners to transport the feces of their dog so that it can be disposed properly.

A nested pair of grocery produce plastic bags works very well at effectively zero cost, turned inside out as the poop is scooped, then disposed of at the next trash can. If the bag need be carried farther, a small paper bag puts the contents out of sight–out of mind.^{[citation needed]}

The person performing the cleanup is also known as the pooper-scooper.

New York City’s Dog Poop Scoop Law (1978)^[1]

a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall or stairway of a building abutting on a public. Basically you scoop up a dogs poop with the said device.

§ 161.05. Dogs to be restrained.
A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog shall not permit it to be in any public place or in any open or unfenced area abutting on a public place unless the dog is effectively restrained by a leash or chain not more than six feet long.

Authorized employees of New York City Departments of Health (including Animal Care & Control), of Sanitation, or of Parks and Recreation can issue tickets.^[2]

Dog droppings are one of the leading sources of E. Coli (fecal coliforms) bacteria pollution: Each gram of dog feces contains over 20,000,000 E. Coli colonies.^[3] While an individual animal's desposit of feces will not measurably affect the environment, the compounded effect of thousands of dogs and cats in a metropolitan area would create problems due to microbe contamination of soil and water supplies. The runoff from neglected pet waste contaminates water, creating a public health hazard for residents, and stream inhabitants like fish.^[4] Along with abruptly high volume during storm runoff and resulting turbidity, water quality is the remaining big issue in restoring fish in urban streams.^[5]

The situation is particularly dire in Germany, where an estimated 1400 tonnes of Hundekot are deposited daily on public property. A Dresden citizen commission (2005) overwhelmingly recommended a plan that would break even at about seven months. DNA samples would be required when pet licenses come up for renewal. Within a year, a database of some 12,500 registration-required canine residents would be available to sanitation workers with sample-test kits. Evidence would be submitted to a forensics laboratory where technicians could readily match doo to dog. The prospect of a prompt fine equivalent to $600 US (at 2005 exchange rate) would help assure preventive compliance, as well as cover costs.^[6]

For pet owners, the most important reason to pick up poop is to help improve the reputations of dog owners among the general public. Abandoned poop piles foster the notion that dog owners are rude and irresponsible, and that dogs are a public nuisance. Off-leash recreation is still a controversial issue for many local governments and there is a strong anti-dog sentiment that persists in the political process. There is the position about public services that the users of privileges should share the costs more than the general public, that pet ownership in urban and suburban environments is a licensed privilege, not a right, so those users should pay their own way. Dog poop is the top complaint about dogs, far exceeding concerns about dog aggression and public safety.^[7]

• Blackman, Diane (2003-07-14 updated). "Dog Parks, Dog Runs and Off Leash Play". Dog Play. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
• "Parks Business Plan". King County Parks and Recreation Division. Department of Natural Resources and Parks (2004-05-25 updated). Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
• Kargl, Reinhard. "A Pooper Scooper Law with Bite. The Germans consider DNA testing to match poop to pooch", Science, Popular Science, July 2005. Retrieved on 2006-06-06. 
• "The Scoop on Poop". ROMP (September 2000). Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  ROMP (Responsible Owners of Mannerly Pets), metropolitan Twin Cities recreation-advocacy group; June 1996 in Roseville, MN, nonprofit incorporation April 2000 [About ROMP]
• "Scoop the Poop Campaign". BurlingtonEcoInfo > Water > issues > Scoop the Poop. University of Vermont (n.d.). Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
• "Wildlife". NYC Health Code. Animal Care & Control of New York City. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
• Zand, Joel R., Esq.. "New York City's Dog Poop Scoop Law". Legal issues and laws affecting dogs, companion animals, and their people. Joel R. Zand. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  New York attorney and dog lawyer;

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