I've always made sure that our dogs always poop in our yard, and nowhere else. There's only been one time in the past 10 years that one of my dogs pooped while on a walk, and yes - I went back with a bag and picked it up.
Our neighborhood has poop-bag stations throughout, and piles of dog poop along every sidewalk . . . . . . .
We have a small back yard, and one of our dogs has started showing an unusual interest in her poop (as all dog owners know - so many of them do, because they can smell the unprocessed nutrients), so to stop any problems before they start, we pick up after the dogs as soon as they're done. Buying latex gloves wholesale is a godsend. I know it means a lot more plastic bags ending up in a landfill, but ya gotta draw the line somewhere . . . .
Luckily, we live in the desert, so picking it up off of gravel is much easier than grass (I remember those awful days in Houston, picking up after two dogs after a week of rain storms !!
)
ps - if you ever have a neighbor whose dog seems to always pick your yard to poop in, here's a sure-fire cure. Get a plastic spoon and go out and coat it with some peanut butter. The next time that dog comes along, he'll take it with him. Once the owner sees that, they sometimes start picking up after their dogs. At the very least, he'll avoid walking by
your house
