Solved! The Mystery Behind White Dog Poop and Where It Has Gone

The debate inside my house right now is who remembers white dog poo littering parks and neighborhoods throughout America back in the 90s?

My husband remembers it clearly.

I don’t particularly, but my memory is not as good as his.

Also, I have more interesting things to remember, like the confetti explosion in our backyard every time my dog got hold of my crayons, which was more often than I should probably admit.
(I’ve never been a tidy person.)

The question on people’s minds–those who remember the white dog poo of yore–is where is it now?

As seen above, it was chalky and dry, looking a bit like sun-bleached coral.

And you have to admit, you really don’t see it these days, do you?

On the one hand, people are a lot more conscientious about picking up after their pups now than they were back in the 90s.

I’m mortified thinking back to walking my dog and letting him do his business wherever he wanted.

At the same time, we did have sidewalks, so that stretch of grass between the sidewalk and the street was sort of fair game, right?

I dunno if my neighbors minded. We didn’t have a Facebook or NextDoor so they couldn’t complain.

Image credit: Charles Deluvio via Unsplash

That being said, there’s another explanation for the disappearance of the ghost-like poo.

As Mental Floss and Treehugger explain, the issue was excess calcium.

Dog food used to contain an overabundance of meat and bone meal, both of which are high in the mineral. Whatever the dog couldn’t process ended up in its feces, and as the wet matter dried out in the sun, the hard calcium stuck around. This led to crumbly, mummified turds littering our sidewalks and green spaces.

Today, there is a huge market in organic, gluten-free, fancy-pants dog food.

For good or for ill, the pet market has figured out that we’ll do anything to make our best friends healthier and live longer, fuller lives.

But even regular old plain jane dog foods don’t have so much cheap bone meal, and thus, there is less calcium all the way around.

That means that if you DO see the old white dog poo, somebody needs a trip to the vet.

Do you remember seeing white poos in the yard?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Solved! The Mystery Behind White Dog Poop and Where It Has Gone appeared first on UberFacts.

Dog Owners Can’t Wait to Try a Robotic Pooper-Scooper

I remember when I was young, my dad had to walk around the yard every weekend scooping up all the dog poo before he could mow the lawn.

Sometimes I had to do it too, and you could always tell when the dog had gotten hold of some crayons…

Well now it seems like there’s a robot for every unpleasant task–vacuuming, mopping, even cutting the grass–so of course it was only a matter of time before someone invented a robot that scoops the poop for you.

You read that right.

The scrappy start-up Beetl Robotics, led by CEO Xiong Chang, has developed a prototype for a machine that will rove through your yard picking up all the little presents that your four legged friend left behind.

Their Facebook page, which explains that the robot will deposit the doo into a compost bin, shows the development of their design over time, from this early concept…

…to a finished product that debuted at the 2017 CES (consumer electronics) trade show, where Beetl placed 3rd for Best Tech:

The company follows the Agile method of product development, which allowed them to deviate from their original design to make the concept even better.

According to their website:

We iterated on our robotic poop-scooper idea to add lawn mowing functionality.

We opted for a sickle-bar grass shear mechanism to get the added benefit of releasing the clamshell jaws from long grass.

All navigation was processed via computer vision and advanced sensor fusion.

Consumers are very excited about this technology, but unfortunately it can take a long time to get from concept to market, so the Beetl isn’t available for sale yet.

Still, I love a good robot, so sign me up when it is. What do you think about this idea? Do you need one for outside, and another for inside, to pick up your kids’ toys before you run your Roomba? Tell us in the comments!

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Dogs Enjoy Pooping in Weird Positions and Here’s the Proof

You know you’ve seen it before: the sad eyes, the occasional whimper, the nervous look on its face.

I’m talking about when you take your dog out for a walk and he or she stares at you while they poop…and hopefully this is happening outside and not in the house, just to be clear.

But a lot of pooches out there like to take doing their business to the next level, and who can blame them? Maybe they want to stick out and let the other dogs in the neighborhood who is really in charge…or something like that.

One thing’s for sure, these dogs all have unique pooping styles. Let’s take a look!

1. A huge photobomb!

Thanks a lot…

Posted by Jordanna Bond on Saturday, May 9, 2020

2. Gettin’ all the way up there…

Well, that’s different.

Posted by Ashley Emmell on Saturday, May 9, 2020

3. Very proud of himself.

Did it on the stump and everything!

Posted by Izzy Chetwynd on Saturday, May 9, 2020

4. What’s going on here?!?!

Can anyone explain this to me?

Posted by Avigayil Spero on Saturday, May 9, 2020

5. All the way out in the water.

This dog has its own style. No doubt about it.

Posted by Courtney Crisp on Saturday, May 9, 2020

6. Are you comfortable?

Because that really doesn’t look comfortable…

Posted by Alexa R. Zajac on Saturday, May 9, 2020

7. Climbing a tree backward.

That is just plain weird.

Posted by Nicole Marie on Saturday, May 9, 2020

8. Don’t do that!

What do you think you’re doing?!?!

Posted by Christina Medeiros on Saturday, May 9, 2020

9. Among the rocks.

Very specific tastes with this one.

Posted by Kylie Lynn Beecher on Saturday, May 9, 2020

10. Leg up when you poop, huh?

You don’t see that every day.

Posted by Allie Cameron on Saturday, May 9, 2020

11. Do go inside the house!

Also, what are you doing? Some kind of weird yoga pose?

Posted by Brandon Romero on Saturday, May 9, 2020

Okay, now we want to hear from you!

In the comments, tell us how your dog does its business.

And if you got some pics, let’s see the proof!

The post Dogs Enjoy Pooping in Weird Positions and Here’s the Proof appeared first on UberFacts.

This Toilet Designed to Limit Worker Bathroom Breaks Might Be the Most Evil Office Invention of All Time

We all have those really long, seemingly endless days at work where we’ll do anything to get away for a few extra minutes. You know, the ones where you pray that the clock hits five as soon as possible. And sometimes that means spending a few extra minutes in the bathroom, contemplating life and checking all our social media.

Well, one company in the UK is looking to curb the breaks when you spend an extra few minutes (or 30) sitting on the john. To do so, they’ve invented the StandardToilet. It is a very real thing, and it is, in all honesty, evil.

Capitalism at its finest.

The toilet has a tilted design that is meant to make people very uncomfortable while sitting on it;  the hope is that workers will not spend as much time in the bathroom during business hours because of the toilet is a literal pain in the ass. Isn’t that nice?!?!

The StandardToilet has been approved by the British Toilet Association (sounds like a fun place to work), and it works by tilting downwards at a 13-degree angle. Apparently, that strains your legs and feels like an extended squat. The founder of StandardToilet, Mahabir Gill, said, “Anything higher than that would cause wider problems. Thirteen degrees is not too inconvenient, but you’d soon want to get off the seat quite quickly.” Thank you for that!

Gill worked as a consulting engineer for 40 years and became annoyed when he would discover workers asleep on toilets or encounter long lines for the bathroom while working. So the idea for the StandardToilet was born. Gill says, “Its main benefit is to the employers, not the employees. It saves the employer money.”

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Isn’t capitalism the best?!?! Let’s hope and pray that this invention doesn’t make it to this side of the pond anytime soon. I know you need to catch up on your Netflix shows during your work breaks…

The post This Toilet Designed to Limit Worker Bathroom Breaks Might Be the Most Evil Office Invention of All Time appeared first on UberFacts.

Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom

I’m glad no one was injured (or killed) during this incident because this would be a really terrible way to go.

And of course this happened in Florida. Was there ever any doubt?!?!

The scene was Port Charlotte, Florida. During a lightning storm, the homeowners heard a huge crash-bang. When they investigated their home, they found that a toilet in their bathroom has EXPLODED from lightning. Windows in the house had shattered as well.

Let’s chalk it up to good luck that no one was doing their business at the time…

Posted by A-1 Affordable Plumbing inc. on Sunday, August 4, 2019

Jordan Hagadorn, the owner of A-1 Affordable Plumbing, said, “This is probably the first time in history something like this has happened” and that the lightning strike resulted in “perfect ignition inside the sewer.”

To explicate slightly – the lightening ignited whatever was in the sewer (poop gases like methane and such).

Hagadorn also said that 30 percent of the pipes in the house need to be replaced due to damage.

While this story sounds like a one-in-a-million incident, it does happen from time to time. John Jensenius, a lightning expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), says, “There have been documented incidents of people injured on toilets. It [lightning] went through the pipes and through the water. If lightning strikes your home, it often finds its way into the plumbing.”

We’re just entering hurricane season, so please be careful and take note of impending storms.

A word to the wise: don’t do your business anymore if there’s a lightning storm outside…no one wants to have to explain that in a loved one’s obituary. Got it? Good!

The post Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom appeared first on UberFacts.

Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom

I’m glad no one was injured (or killed) during this incident because this would be a really terrible way to go.

And of course this happened in Florida. Was there ever any doubt?!?!

The scene was Port Charlotte, Florida. During a lightning storm, the homeowners heard a huge crash-bang. When they investigated their home, they found that a toilet in their bathroom has EXPLODED from lightning. Windows in the house had shattered as well.

Let’s chalk it up to good luck that no one was doing their business at the time…

Posted by A-1 Affordable Plumbing inc. on Sunday, August 4, 2019

Jordan Hagadorn, the owner of A-1 Affordable Plumbing, said, “This is probably the first time in history something like this has happened” and that the lightning strike resulted in “perfect ignition inside the sewer.”

To explicate slightly – the lightening ignited whatever was in the sewer (poop gases like methane and such).

Hagadorn also said that 30 percent of the pipes in the house need to be replaced due to damage.

While this story sounds like a one-in-a-million incident, it does happen from time to time. John Jensenius, a lightning expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), says, “There have been documented incidents of people injured on toilets. It [lightning] went through the pipes and through the water. If lightning strikes your home, it often finds its way into the plumbing.”

We’re just entering hurricane season, so please be careful and take note of impending storms.

A word to the wise: don’t do your business anymore if there’s a lightning storm outside…no one wants to have to explain that in a loved one’s obituary. Got it? Good!

The post Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom appeared first on UberFacts.

A Woman Had Diarrhea in a $15,000 Wedding Dress Because of Detox Shakes

If you’ve seen Bridesmaids, this story may sound somewhat familiar to you.

But this was no movie, my friends. This was real-life and it sounds pretty horrific.

A “bridezilla” who had been drinking some health shakes to attempt to curb some bloating ending up paying a very steep price…in the way of poop.

Here is the tale in its entirety, from a throwaway Reddit account that couldn’t be traced (good thinking). This is a long story, but trust me, you’ll want to take the whole thing in.

I work as an event planner. It was the wedding of two fairly wealthy families, and the bride had decided on a rather rural, “shabby chic” aesthetic. The reception, she decided, would take place on family property, in a historic barn.

This caused a huge flurry of issues, between having to have the barn cleaned, the fact that we needed auxiliary tents as the barn wasn’t large enough, and the fact that the property lacked electricity and running water. The latter was solved with a bank of generators, tubs of water for catering, and a side tent with port-a-johns hidden inside.

The bride had, to be honest, been quite a bridezilla, but it’s my job to deal with those things. At this point, the ceremony had ended, cocktail hour is shutting down, professional photos were taken. We were prepping to transition to the entrance of the bridal party, which would be followed immediately by first dance and cake cutting. During this, the dinner would be staged, so every aspect was being fairly carefully timed out.

I was speaking to the caterer when I happened to glance over and see the most curious blend of expressions pass over th brides face, and she frantically waved down my assistant. A few moments later, my headset beeped on, and my assistant said “we have an issue”. It turns out that the bride had gambled on a fart and lost in a big way.

Now, the bride was wearing a huge, full ball gown, with a fitted, bones strapless top in a sort of embellished mesh. Underneath, she had a shaper garment and hoops and slips. We had already realized there was zero way of her going to the bathroom: we had issues getting her into a limo, and having her use a portajohns meant one of us would have to get personal. That was my assistants job. I radioed to everyone to expect a fifteen minute delay, and they headed towards the tent.

The fifteen minutes pass. Then twenty. Finally, my earpiece beeps on. “The previous issue is more than we anticipated.” I ran over to find my assistant looking horrified.

The bride, it turns out, had been using some health shakes in an attempt to fix last minute bloating. This had mixed poorly with the cocktails from earlier, and she had eaten a fairly decent breakfast. The substance that had come out of her body as a result defied explanation. It was slimy, oily even, with stringy bits and the consistency of hair gel. Not only had it been a rather profound accident, but the smell was unrivaled. Generally, a substance no human body should emit.

But the thing that set it over the edge was that the shaper the bride wore was a latex deal that came down over the thighs and up to her bra. Waterproof, the poo had just sort of filled it, like a water balloon of horror. My assistant had opened up the snap crotch and just released the evil trickling down the brides thighs.

My assistant quickly sealed it back up and she and the bride vainly tried to wipe up the goo, dry, with toilet paper. This just spread it around, so they decide to give up.

Now I have a shell shocked assistant and a crying bride. You can smell her four feet away. The bride is just flipping out that she’s making her guests wait, that she has a choreographed dance waiting to happen, and she needs to be introduced NOW. I’m just looking at her manicured nails. Residue of diarrhea are just imbedded in her nail bed.

I start trying to scrape the poo out with a fabric stain wipe, while the bride insists that the show must go on, immediately. I give in that this is an issue which will have to wait, and signal to start introductions. The groom looks vaguely disconcerted by his new wife’s odor, but I tell my assistant to distract him until they take the floor. Introductions happen, the dance starts, and we find some fresh horror.

The dance was a choreographed affair, and as the groom spun his bride around, hand on her waist, he is squishing the poo up the insides of the waist trainer, up and out the back waistband. To our horror, we watch as a oily stain spread across the mid back of the gown. As we are still cringing from this, the groom sets his hand firmly in the middle of the poo stain.

Action had to be taken as soon as the couple left the dance floor, it was obvious, and I left my assistant in charge while I made preparations. She kept radioing me: the stain was spreading, she could smell the poo from her spot by the dj. They were cutting the cake now. They were feeding the cake to each other, both now with shit stained fingers. Each was looking downright repulsed.

As they left the dance floor, I had someone rush wet naps to the groom and to bring me the bride. The support tent was closed down for me, and I pulled a tub of clean water from the caterers. She walked in to find me in dish gloves and a poncho, like American Psycho, The five minutes, I was sponging down a sobbing, naked bride, while I questioned every life decision that lead to this point.

The diarrhea was everywhere, spread in a thin layer across her body. It may be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever dealt with. With her clean, I threw away the waist shaper, and scrubbed down the $15 k wedding gown back in a plastic basin. The inner lining was a loss, and I cut it out completely.

Dressed again, and offered a Xanax, the bride was little worse for wear, except for missing her dinner. The support tent smelled like a sewer and just was closed for the remainder of the event. The groom was a sport, never directly saying anything, but asking if we could cancel the garter toss as he didn’t really want to go under her skirt.

Pictures from the event appeared in a magazine. Still photos, away from the smell, were beautiful.

Well, at least the photos were good?

Yikes, that is too much…

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Here’s Why Your Poop is Green Sometimes

Let’s just face it: everybody poops. It’s something we all do just every day, so we may as well talk about it.

Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s take a second to discuss something kinda weird that happens when you poop sometimes: it comes out green.

It’s kind of an alarming situation, and you think to yourself…what the hell is going on here? Am I sick? Dying? What is causing this?

Well, that’s what this whole article is about, so you’re in luck!

Photo Credit: Flickr,U.S. Army CCDC

Good news! It’s actually normal to occasionally have green poop, so you can relax and wipe that sweat from your brow. While it is possible that you might have some gastrointestinal issues going on that cause it to turn green as it ventures through you, the main issue is that the waste moves too fast through your digestive system and doesn’t have time to break down the bile that is naturally secreted from your gallbladder.

That bile is usually a green or yellow color.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

There are some other factors that could cause green poops, too. You might have too much fat in your diet, you might be eating so many green veggies (i.e. kale and spinach) that it’s turning your bowel movements green, or you might be consuming a lot of food and/or drinks that have a lot of green food coloring (think Shamrock Shakes).

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

If you do happen to experience green diarrhea that doesn’t go away quickly, then you might have some kind of infection, and you should get checked out.

Otherwise, just lay off the green beer on St. Patty’s, okay?

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This Poor Gentleman’s Ginormous Poop Nearly Killed Him (Seriously)

You might be proud of your ability to “hold it” until you get home, until after the kids go to bed, until a more convenient time, but take heed, people – holding in your poo for too long can literally kill you.

Proof? This 53-year-old Australian man went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain, swelling, nausea, and a sudden inability to feel or move his right leg. Doctors confirmed the leg was paralyzed – it also had no palpable pulse and was cold to the touch.

At first, physicians were stumped. The man had no history of drug abuse, no risk of vascular disease, and really no significant or out-of-the-ordinary medical history at all.

What he did have was a really, really big poo.

Image Credit: BMJ Case Report

Holy sh*t.

A rectal examination and abdominal scans revealed massive fecal compaction that was putting life-threatening pressure on his abdominal organs. There was so much of it that it had distended his large intestine and put pressure on his right iliac artery, which is what caused the pain and paralysis in his leg.

The case was serious – he was showing signs of renal impairment and metabolic acidosis – the man required surgery to remove the backlog of poo and relieve the building pressure. The team wrote a case report, which expanded on their findings.

“Significant faecal disimpaction was performed manually under general anaesthesia with approximately 2 liters of feces removed.”

Image Credit: BMJ Case Report

2 liters, y’all. How long had it been since he’d gone?!

He was given constipation relief during recovery and left the hospital after four days. He finally walked again after 13 days.

Doctors are unsure what caused the massive build-up, but there’s no doubt that not being able to (or choosing not to) poop for a long period of time is incredibly dangerous. A teenage girl with a toilet phobia actually died in 2015 after holding it for 8 weeks, and this guy would have suffered the same fate had he not visited the doctors when he did.

Like my grandfather always said, better out than in. Never go against your body when death is on the line, my friends. You’ll come out on the losing end.

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