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| Petmate Clean Response Swivel Rake & Bin |
It was not a good method.
First, my method required a lot of bending — not only was that rough on my back, but it was stinky too. No one wants to get that close to aromatic, festering dog doo, right? I can't believe I did it for all those years.
Second, it was messy. I never wanted to store the tools inside the garage because of the mess and stink, so I stored them discreetly near a bush in my front yard.
There, they attracted every type of dung beetle and spider imaginable. One time, I even had a snake curled up in the scoop (enter my habit of kicking the scoop before bending down to pick it up).
Why didn't I invest in one of those scissor-like pooper scoopers sold at every big box around? I did. Twice. Maybe it's something about the size of my dog (and subsequently, the size of his doo) but I kept breaking those darn contraptions. I broke the first pooper scooper my second time using it; I broke my second pooper scooper the first time using it. I then muttered some choice words and promised I'd never spend another dime on the darn things.
Going on the advice of a friend, I bought the grain scoop and have been miserable ever since.
But not anymore.
Earlier this month, I walked up to the sight of a big box sitting on my desk chair. The whole newsroom got a good laugh over how excited I became when I opened it up and discovered I'd been sent a pooper scooper.
As excited as I was at the mere fact this rake-and-basket partnership meant no more bending and no more getting my face awfully close to rotting poop, it got even better once I arrived home and started putting it together.
"Look here, hun," I said to my husband. "The instructions say to use a grocery bag and you just clip it right into these hooks."
"You know what that means, right? That means this basket will never get gross like the grain scoop did," I continued.
I used it later that weekend and was quite pleased with the whole experience.
Watch a video demonstration
Here's what I like about the Petmate Clean Response Swivel Bin and Rake:
1) No bending
2) Large basket fits a lot of waste
3) Being able to use it with grocery bags is pretty cool. I have a lot of them, and it makes the clean-up about as clean a process as it's going to get.
4) The rake clips on to the basket for easy storage
5) Because the items stay clean, I can store them in my garage.
I have one request — this one can go out to Petmate and ALL grocery stores — please make some biodegradable bags that have the same style and shape as the plastic ones. I always feel bad about putting dog poop, a totally organic substance, into plastic bags. The convenience and cleanliness of the grocery bag (and the many uses I find for them) keeps me using them, but I'd certainly feel a whole lot better about it if they composted more easily.
Win one free!
I've done my job telling you about this useful product. Now, it's time for you to send me an email with your name and address for a chance to win one yourself! This is a contest run through my blog, so you won't be contending with millions of people. Petmate is sending me one brand new Swivel Bin & Rake to auction off to a Dog Blog reader. I'll accept entries through Thursday, April 28. Your email will be printed, stuck in a hat and I'll have one of my coworkers do the honors of picking out a name at random. Send an email with your name and shipping address to karen@oakpress.com.
Purchase information
I found the product sold online through Petsmart for $23.99.
