Poo

It seems a bit sophomoric to be talking about poo in a blog, but when you own a dog you deal with it constantly (or worse, don't deal with it). New parents get similarly intimate with poo, except 1) they stop having to deal with it after a few years, and 2) they generally have a nice padded nappie separating them from the stuff. There's only a thin layer of plastic separating typical dog owners from their pet's steaming output.

Pappy's an odd one when it comes to pooing. When he gets in the "posture", he is so pretzel'ed over that he is balancing on his front legs with his back legs almost off the ground in front of him. He constantly creeps forward while in the act to keep from hitting his front paws, so his nuggets are scattered in a semicircle over several feet. This makes it hard to find all the bits during daylight hours, and, with summer ending, our morning walks are already in the dark. You wouldn't think you'd need much equipment for this duty, but I'm going to have to start carrying a flashlight.