As far back as I can recall, “Doo”ty time was an animal ownership chore that was a necessary, frustrating and stinky job!  For all of the love and enjoyment I received from my dogs, horses & livestock, yard cleanup was never a joy! But I discovered there was an easier way to get things done!

As a young girl, since I was “animal lover” it was my job to love, train, and feed and clean up after the animals.  I would try various methods of cleanup by using tools in my parents’ tool shed… some of which my parents were not happy that I was using!  The biggest obstacle was how to get the pile off the many blades of grass…that seemed to be begging it to stay!

The flat nose shovel was the only reasonable tool at the time, but cleanup of the shovel blade was not fun.  I tried lawn rakes, digging shovels and all seemed to smear things more often than pickup. Yuck!  The grass and dog doo proved to be a pain…a stinky pain! The livestock manure collected too much sand and dirt with each scoop!

Then as an adult (which means I used the shovel for a very long time!) my husband brought home the horse’s manure rake to fix the handle and it changed my “dooty” time at the house!  When I purchased my first horse, I purchased the manure rake because it was designed to easily scoop up large piles of horse manure.  It made this chore both efficient and easy.

But when I used the rake at the house to pick up the dog’s stuff did I realize that it was AMAZING!  Or as amazing as one could be picking up dog stuff! The tines of the manure rake didn’t get caught in the grass blades and most forms of dog doo was easily picked up and discarded.  The manure rake also proved handy in scooping up leaves, pulled weeds and other yard debris.  It is a definite “Must Have” in your tool shed.

The Small Tined Manure Rake is a must have. It captures all the little pellets or smaller piles.

Online, there are several other types of manure tools, and many are pretty clever!  But…the cleanup afterwards is always my focus when looking at the tools.  So it may look easy to pick up…may not be easy to clean afterwards! So I’m still recommending the manure fork. The manure of any type doesn’t see to attach to the tines for long.

The standard tined rake is perfect for horses, dogs and general yard maintenance.  It filters easily between grass, sand, dirt & shavings.

If you kennel dogs on concrete pads, the manure fork is less efficient.  The flat nose style kennel shovels will do a better job on the concrete.

Dog & Swine manure can be the messiest manure to pick up and keeping the tools cleaned can be easily accomplished.  The trick is to have a bucket of water (with 1-2 cups bleach) that is large enough to soak the kennel shovel or rake between uses. This will remove and disinfect any excess manure on the blades. It will also control flies gathering on the tools.  Always keep all cleaners or buckets of cleaner out of reach from your pets or livestock projects.

With the right tools, a stinky job can be made easy and quick to do. Keeping the pen clean is key to a successful and healthy animal.