I often see canine leavings at the side of the road, and wonder which of my fellow dog owners left them behind. (It certainly isn’t the dog’s fault.) In recent years, homeowners’ associations and apartment complexes have answered this important question by requiring DNA samples from dogs living on the property. When staff find an abandoned pile, they match the DNA it contains to a resident dog, and fine the owner $250. [More]
This Fashion Doll Presents An Unrealistic Image Of Pet Ownership Where Animals Poop Jewels
By January 3, 2013
Moxie Girlz are from MGA, the same company that brought us Bratz dolls. They’re like a softer version of Bratz, wearing less makeup, having slightly more human proportions, and they’re even fully clothed. [More]
Florida’s Alleged Serial Used Enema Returner Has Been Apprehended
By October 15, 2012
You can purchase disposable saline enemas with confidence: the man in Florida who would purchase, use, and return alarming quantities of them has been apprehended. Though in this context, an “alarming quantity” would be “more than zero.” The man’s federal indictment was just unsealed, and he was charged with, among other things, having “reckless disregard that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.” [More]
Why Did CVS Customer Keep Returning Used Enemas To The Store?
By July 30, 2012
It was an observant CVS cashier who brought a Florida man’s reign of fecal contamination to a close. The customer would allegedly buy saline enema kits, use them, clumsily reseal the boxes, and return the kits to the store. The enema kits went right back on store shelves to be sold to unsuspecting customers. The bottles contained some fluid, but had fecal matter on them. This purchase and return cycle began in April and continued until June. [More]
Long-Running Mouse Infestation May Shut Down N.Y. Walmart
By May 25, 2012
Recent state inspections of a Monticello, N.Y. Walmart have the mundane violations you’d see in any food facility’s inspection: dusty fans, lettuce cross-contamination, and coolers slightly warmer than they should be. Then there’s all of the food and other merchandise they’ve had to throw out after it was “defiled by rodents.” The state keeps coming back and reporting “thousands” of mouse droppings and evidence of rodents all over the store…and a few decaying corpses while they’re at it. The reports of mice go back to September 2011. [More]
Do All Retail/Restaurant Workers Have To Deal With Poo-Related Vandalism?
By January 25, 2012
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I spent many a high school and college summer toiling behind the counter at Dairy Queen. But my particular DQ was a walk-up stand which meant no public restroom. And for this, so many years later, I am now very, very glad. [More]
Who Should Pay If A Bird Poops In Your Food?
By December 14, 2011
This isn’t the most seasonally appropriate question to ask, at least here in the Northeastern U.S. And in the Northern Hemisphere. Perhaps it’s important (yet disgusting) enough that we can argue about it until springtime.
Simply put: if a bird relieves itself in your food while you’re dining outside, should the restaurant comp your meal?
Why Won't My Town Let Me Worry About My Own Crap?
By October 13, 2010
Terri writes that when the homes in her neighborhood were built more than 60 years ago, they were built with septic tanks instead of being part of a municipal sewer system. Instead of maintaining their own tanks, some residents want to be part of the sewer system, and the neighborhood is about to become one with the sewer system. Terri wonders: what can she do to stop this? She’d welcome input from any readers who have had similar experiences. [More]
TV Networks Object To Diaper Commercial That Uses Word "Pooping"
By May 27, 2010
Diaper commercials, much like commercials for menstrual products, have always sort of glossed over the actual function of the products. No more. A new Huggies ad for denim-patterned diapers (really) features a voice-over that says “I poo in blue,” and ends with the tagline, “The coolest you’ll look pooping your pants.” [More]
Man Sues Petsmart For $1 Million After Stepping In Dog Poop
By April 1, 2010
When visiting a pet store that allows leashed pets to visit, is it unreasonable to keep an eye out for dog poop? Inside the store? The Virginian-Pilot reports that a man is suing Petsmart in federal court after slipping and falling on a pile of feces in a Norfolk, Va. store. He alleges that the fall exacerbated his existing back injury and knocked out four of his false teeth. [More]
Anonymous Protestor Leaves Pile Of Manure In Chase ATM Vestibule
By March 23, 2010
Someone who was fed up at Chase made a special deposit on the floor of one of their ATM vestibules in NYC a couple of days ago. Fortunately for the clean-up crew, it looks like it was manure and not actual human poop. [More]
Low-Flow Toilets Provide Water Savings, Entertainment
By January 29, 2010
If you were unfortunate enough to have one of the early low-flow toilets installed in your home, you probably remember it as an … unpleasant experience. Fortunately, the newer models have enough power to get their job done using surprisingly little water–as little as 1.28 gallons. Consumer Reports proves this by flushing what look like brightly colored toys down the toilet. This is very entertaining to watch. [More]
Counterfeit Alli Won't Cause Runs, Might Raise Blood Pressure
By January 19, 2010
The Food and Drug Administration has warned shoppers to be on the lookout for counterfeit versions of the weight-loss drug Alli. The real version of Alli contains orlistat, a drug with side effects that include “an urgent need to defecate,” as those with delicate sensibilities like to put it. The fakes are made with sibutramine, a controlled substance that has been linked to high blood pressure in some studies. [More]
Glaxo Funding Fat Film To Promote Poop-Causing Drug
By January 8, 2010
In an effort to get more people to try Alli — an over-the-counter weight-loss drug with side effects that include what our friends at Consumer Reports Health delicately refer to as “an urgent need to defecate” — drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has decided to make a movie about the dangers of overeating. And they’ve chosen the Creative Coalition, an advocacy group that includes Alec Baldwin and Susan Sarandon among its members, to make the film. [More]
Chipotle Says Their Food Does Not Cause Underwear Blood
By October 9, 2009
South Park managed to combine the late Billy Mays, the unfortunately still around Ghost Hunters, and the beloved Chipotle chain in their latest episode, with surprising results.
Connecticut Bathroom Access Law Now In Effect
By October 2, 2009
Connecticut shoppers with bowel disorders, rejoice! Now, there’s a sentence we never expected to write. In order to prevent humiliating and undignified restroom access debacles for people with verified medical conditions, Connecticut has passed a law guaranteeing their access to otherwise off-limits restrooms in public places. The law went into effect on October 1st.
Plaid Pantry Says Bathroom Off Limits, Lets Customer Poop Pants
By September 8, 2009
One of the unfortunate things about Crohn’s disease is it can make you need to use the bathroom pretty much immediately, without warning or fanfare. Of course, there’s plenty of fanfare afterward if you can’t find a bathroom, as one longtime customer of Plaid Pantry found out yesterday when she shat her pants in the parking lot after being denied emergency access to their employee toilet.
Make It Yourself
By August 28, 2009
If you really want to claim the title of the most do-it-yourself Consumerist reader, you will grab this book (free PDF) and learn from it. Just don’t come back here and post about it in the comments.
