Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Linda Wilson Fuoco recently explored some of the latest inventions created
to pick up Fido's feces. The
Shark Grab n Bag Powered Scooper is a motorized, battery-operated, hands-free retrieval system selling for around $29.99. Its manufacturer, Canadian-based EURO-PRO Operating, may be on the right track to attract consumers tired of dealing with hands-on poop scooping; but it seems they need much, much more work on their product.
The Shark Grab n Bag, available at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and other retailers, performed poorly when the reporter tried it in her backyard and a local off-leash dog park. The process in which the machine wrapped a dog's pile in biodegradable plastic left both the outside of the bag and the machine smeared with the offending matter -- which means the machine is not as hands-free as suggested.
Ms. Fuoco also tested Poop Freeze, a spray product that boasts the ability to -- you guessed it -- freeze the poop so that it might easily be picked up, supposedly leaving less mess behind.
Developed by Topaz Technology and selling for $9.95, this spray leaves a hard film on the poop; however, it appears that one only benefits from each can about three times. That's roughly $3.32 to freeze each pile Fido makes. Furthermore, one must be careful about where one sprays -- the substance will possibly freeze the poop to the surface on which it has fallen.
Ms. Fuoco concluded (and I agree with her) that the easiest way to pick up dog poop is still the tried-and-true plastic bag method. The pet industry has to do a little better than freezing and automating to earn my money just yet.
