I hesitated to do back-to-back posts on dog poop bags since I don’t want this website to appear unserious.  But today’s report clears up a little more of the mystery surrounding the special place these little plastic sacks occupy in the world of trash. It also shows the risks of rash conclusions.

About midafternoon near the footbridge by the C&O Canal at Lock 8 I spotted two dog poop bags. As usual, they were carefully placed, in this case at the base of a sign warning about littering and about this being a trash free park.

When I returned an hour later I found to my bemusement that the poop bag pair had become a threesome. I was about to continue on when in the distance I saw a man with a dog on a leash and his daughter riding a scooter. They were headed my way. I waited, thinking there might be a connection.

Eureka! The man picked up the third bag and he and his daughter continued on the path up the steep hillside to the parking lot. A bright red cardinal in the bushes broke out in song.

But then, partway up the hillside, the man tossed the bag on the ground and continued on his way. He did it in such a natural, offhand manner. I felt let down and confused.  Until I noticed that the

girl had also left her scooter there lying on the grass. The man was clearly going to let his daughter and the dog into their car and return for the two items.

Problem solved. Every dog poop bag has its little story and the endings can be sad or, at least in this case, happy.