Our first-thing-in-the-morning chore every day is scooping the poop in the dog yards after we let the bossy little dears out to do their business. We used to put the, um, "material" in trash cans and then haul it once a week to the compost yard in the Kubota utility vehicle. With the snow and ice we inevitably pick up along with frozen poop this time of year, those trash cans can get pretty heavy very quickly. And if we miss a week, they become very heavy. So Alayne started using a child's sleigh to haul her collection to the compost yard every day, rather than stockpiling it for a weekly move.
It took me a while to catch on (why are men always so slow to realize that women are smarter than they are?), but I finally realized she was on to something with this new transportation approach ... and I adopted the same practice. So now I put my morning collection from the Widget's House yards in a bucket, load it on the sleigh, and pull it down to our house where the other dog cottages are ... then Alayne adds her collection to the sleigh, and off we go to the compost yard. She got this photo of me pulling the sleigh down the drive in the ice-fog this morning. Low-tech but very effective!
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Please vote for the ranch in the Shelter Challenge -- and you can vote every day! Enter "Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT, for Montana, and it will bring up our listing.
Vote in the Shelter Challenge here.Last year we won $3,000 in the first round and then won the $20,000 Grand Prize in the second round, so your votes really do add up and make for a wonderful gift for the animals here.
Thank you!
I'm just catching up on news from your ranch and came across the November photos of Dusty chomping down snow. Good to see how healthy he's faring after all the years under your care. We're so grateful for the level of care you give each animal. The medical attention and surgery you gave Dusty at a crucial time allows him to lead a happy life. You have our continued commitment to fund his care and the care of all the ranch animals. Thank you, Steve & Alayne! Bernadette & Pat
Posted by: Bernadette Bannister | January 27, 2010 at 06:16 PM
Isn't it funny how the simple things in life are really amazing! Way to go, Alayne! Love the pic! If you sent it as a postcard no one would have any idea you are hauling poop! he-he!
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | January 24, 2010 at 02:19 PM
A one-man poop sled! You might get competition from the Jamaican team, though. Oh, and you jumped to #2 today - groovy! Let's keep those votes coming!
Posted by: Heidi, Emmett the Beagle, and Moxie the kitty | January 21, 2010 at 10:51 PM
Don't forget....if you clear your browser cookies after you vote, you can vote again and again in the Shelter Challenge! RDR is #2 now, but that Iowa shelter is way ahead...let's try to get as many votes in as we can!
Posted by: Ann | January 21, 2010 at 06:11 PM
THANKS STEVE & ALAYNE FOR EVERYTHING YOU BOTH DUE!!GOD BLESS YOU.I WANTED TO SHOW YOU WHAT I POSTED ON FACEBOOK,I HOPE IT HELPS YOU IN SOME LITTLE WAY? FACEBOOK & MY SPACE POSTING!! IT TAKES SECONDS TO HELP BRING A SMILE AND FEED A LITTLE PUPPY OR KITTY WITH ONE CLICK OF A MOUSE!THANKS FOR EVERYONES HELP THAT VOTED FOR [ ROLLING DOG RANCH ANIMAL SANCTUARY ] GRAND PRIZE $ 10,000.00 DOLLARS !!2009 WINNER!!CHECK THEM OUT,THEY TAKE IN BLIND DOGS,HORSES & OTHER DISABLITY ANIMALS ,LIKE ME!!THANK GOD SOMEONE DOES.DO YOU KNOW ANYONE ELSE THAT CARES FOR THE ... See MoreBLIND ANIMALS?PLEASE READ ABOUT THEM,THESE TWO PEOPLE GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO HELP,EVEN THEIR HIGH PAYING JOBS.GOD BLESS THEM ALWAYS!XOXO Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary
Ovando, MT 59854
More Info
YOU NEED TO SEE WHAT THEY DO EVERYDAY FOR THE ANIMALS!!
Web: www.rollingdogranch.org
XOXO THANK YOU STEVEN F. GOLDSMITH
Posted by: STEVEN F. GOLDSMITH | January 21, 2010 at 01:02 PM
I am fairly new to your blog but since I found it I check it every day. You are true angels and I thank you for everything that you do for the less fortunate animals. I am very passionate about animals and I do what I can to help. I've been clicking daily on the Animal Rescue site for over a year now and I am more than glad to vote for your Sanctuary. And I do it once from work and once from home - so I get to vote twice a day!
Posted by: Sandra | January 21, 2010 at 12:54 PM
Such dedication! Not for the faint of heart, to be sure.
Stay warm and healthy you guys! You are loved and appreciated by all us out here who get to check in on you with your daily blogs. Thanks for doing that, too, by the way.
Posted by: Lisa Koch | January 21, 2010 at 12:48 PM
I bet you guys can eat 3000 calories a day!
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | January 21, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Hi Steve & Alayne,
Maybe this is a DUH!! email, but I'm not sure that all of your blog readers are aware of the fact that if they sign up for a daily reminder on the amimal rescue voting site they will get the chance to vote for the ranch on the weekends not only by clicking from your daily blogs. Every little bit helps.
Posted by: Jean Stidham | January 21, 2010 at 11:20 AM
Speaking as a person who holds the kind of communications job you once had in your corporate life, I'm sure you realize how valuable your background in conveying "material" in the most efficient manner has become.
Posted by: Jerry S. | January 21, 2010 at 11:06 AM
Hey this could develope into something big. You could partition the IOC to have a ONE MAN POOP SLED event in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Or even go PRO, get some endorsments, have stickers on the side of your Sled like NASCAR.
OK hold up a minute. Steve I think I just proved your point. A woman would think this is the dumbest idea ever, just go and get rid of the poop. While I am glamerize the hualing of poop.
Oh Well be safe and keep warm
Posted by: Eric | January 21, 2010 at 10:41 AM
A profound photo and one that speaks volumes: about the silence and solitude of a cold winter morning; about the endless chores that are a part of daily life regardless of whatever else you may be experiencing (such as the loss of a beloved animal); about the mind-numbing cold that Montana can bring; and about the extraordinary dedication of two people whose love is as big as the Montana sky.
Posted by: Lynne Parker | January 21, 2010 at 07:56 AM
Great idea! Brrr, glad I was able to see the pictue from the warmth of my home. Not sure my outdoor clothes would suffice in your weather.
Posted by: Dee in KY | January 21, 2010 at 06:23 AM
You compost the dog poop? With other poop/manure? What do you use it for? Any tips re dog poop compost welcome!
Posted by: Tarasbabies | January 21, 2010 at 02:36 AM
"As Steve towed his daily collection, his mind wandered back to his big dream: a yard that flushes."
Posted by: Pippa Rhue | January 21, 2010 at 01:43 AM
You two are very inventive! Hey, if it works--great! Burrrrr! Boy, the amount of exercise you two get is unreal!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | January 20, 2010 at 09:32 PM
If only you could teach one of the big dogs to tow that sled for you, you'd have it made!
Posted by: moon rani | January 20, 2010 at 07:56 PM