Allison Shadday often felt humiliated when she would run into a chatty neighbor while walking her two large dogs.
The 50-year-old Kailua resident and social worker by trade was often caught holding a plastic bag or two of poop from her 120-pound Bernese mountain dog, Ellie, and 50-pound Portuguese water dog, Ringo.
"It was mortifying to stand there with two stinky bags of poop in my hand," she said. "So I started looking around to see if there’s anything to solve this problem."
She decided to turn her quandary into a business that could not only help other pet owners, but reduce environmental waste.
Shadday invested about $25,000 last year to create Bag-A-Doo, a fashionable vinyl pouch that can be worn over the shoulder, on a belt loop, bike, stroller or leash handle with separate pockets to carry a cellphone, keys, wallet and … poop. The lined bag, made out of oilcloth to contain the smell, features a small hole on the front for the easy removal of plastic bags for the mess, and separate pockets for an owner’s belongings. She offers them in aloha prints, polka dots, camouflage, jaguar print and a more playful dog bone and balls material.
Even Shadday admits the product is hilarious and unconventional.
"It’s a riot," she said.
But even funnier is "just how all the people walking around are doing this," referring to carrying plastic bags of poop or tying them onto baby strollers.
"All of a sudden it’s common to see people walking around with bags of poop in their hands," she said. "People end up leaving it on the beach or on the trails thinking they’ll come back to it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they forget, but in the meantime everybody has to look at these poop bags."
Environmentally it’s bad to leave dog poop on the ground, Shadday said, adding that it is the largest contributor to pollution of watersheds and is a health hazard if left around schools, parks, playgrounds and beaches.
Canine feces, in particular, are full of bacteria, nitrogen and salts that don’t dissolve, she added.
Working from her home, Shadday has been able to sell about 350 Bag-A-Doos, currently in 10 stores, since launching in May. She recently sealed a deal with San Diego-based Petco to sell the poop purse in its seven Hawaii stores. If the item proves popular, the product could go national, she said.
"It’s not just selling in pet stores, but hiking stores, fashion boutiques, gift shops. It kind of crosses over," she said.
The American Pet Products Association estimates that $52.9 billion will be spent on pets and pet supplies this year in the United States, up from $51 billion last year.
The product sells for $19.95 for a small pouch and $23.95 for the larger size.
"I love innovation, and I love seeing women who have ideas bring them to fruition," said Denyse Ray, owner of Kakaako manufacturing firm Ease Collection, which is sewing the bags locally at a price point 60 percent below mainland manufacturers. "The innovation of it and the fact that she’s making it from a fashionable standpoint means it will be really appealing to ladies. She’s in a very good position."
Shadday trademarked the Bag-A-Doo name and has a patent pending.
Her ultimate goal is to encourage and make it easier for people to be socially responsible and clean up after their pets. About 40 percent of dog waste is left on the ground, she said.
"Any public place where dogs are walked, there are some people who do the right thing. Then there are other people, because it’s an unpleasant task and it’s inconvenient and a lot of times people forget their bag, it doesn’t happen," she said. "We want dogs to be welcome on beach trails everywhere, so if we respond and clean up after our dogs, then people are going to be more happy seeing them around."
