Thank you Jean, I already read that article & was going to try the sawdust & garbage bag method it described. It's just so confusing because everyone mostly says no, but.....

My city actually has a dog poop recycle company that will pick the bags up every 2 weeks but it's $5 bucks a month. I know the garbage people don't want it in their trucks or landfills. Just trying to think outside the box.

I say, go ahead and use it on your ornamentals. I've been been burying my cat's used kitty litter in flower beds for a couple years.

The parasites the live in the dogs, or cats, feces can live in soil for a very long time and while using that around ornamentals may seem like a good idea you could pick them up while "weeding" or otherwise working that soil.

There are digesters made to handle dog feces that use enzymes to break that material down similar to how a septic tank works for human waste. It is not a good idea to flush the dogs (or cats) waste down your house sewer system since there is a difference in what is needed to digest that stuff.

A good rule of thumb is do not use pet waste in your garden.

kimmq is kimmsr

so only herbivore manure? and what about voles, squirrels and rabbits, who have plenty to transmit to humans? I doubt that these rules have practical consequences.

What makes cow manure parasite free & so good for an ornimemtal garden?

The general rule is no manure from carnivores. This makes sense when you think of the gut as an internal composter, complete with its own bacterial ecosystem. Would you throw meat in the compost bin? No, you probably only use vegetation. Herbivore manure is just partially composted vegetation, which is what you want.

Wild animals do not live in the close proximity, normally, and so do not carry those disease pathogens, and parasites, that pets do. However, voles, squirrels, and rabbits are herbivores, not carnivores.

Cow manure, horse manure, sheep manure, goat manure and all those other farm animals manure is not pathogen free, which is why there are guidelines out there for its use in the garden.

Generally do not apply animal manure 90 to 120 days before harvesting edibles from the garden.

kimmq is kimmsr

Here's what I'd do. Get a dog poop digester such as the Doggy Dooley or a 5-gal bucket with the bottom cut out. Dig a hole a few inches deep to set it in. Dump stuff in there and after a period of time, move the thing and start in a new spot, and cover the old pit with soil. Avoid places where you'll be digging around for at least a year or two. The worms and the soil food web will take care of the rest.

I don't think it takes any particular enzymes to digest dog poop, it is fairly similar to human. I think the sewage plant could handle it just fine. It's just not that convenient to get the dog to use the potty!