I love me some Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, so of course, I was all ears when last Saturday’s (March 6) guest of the NPR game show’s “Not My Job” segment, Tony Shalhoub (“Big Night,” “Monk”), discussed his brother’s invention, the Sha-poopie.

The Sha-poopie is a product that claims to be “the Ultimate Pooper Scooper.” So how does it work? Well to put it indelicately, you position the Sha-poopie right under your dog’s butt as it’s about to drop a load. The device has a telescoping handle so you can stand while collecting the poop (great for people with bad backs?). After the specimen is collected, collapse the handle, snap the lid shut, and dispose of the cup.

My thoughts on the Sha-poopie? Well first of all, unless you have an ailment that makes it difficult or impossible for you to bend down with a plastic bag to pick up your dog’s poop, or unless there’s something abnormally disgusting or potentially hazardous in your dog’s poop, you don’t really have a good excuse to use this thing. Secondly, I don’t like that the Sha-poopie has specific disposable plastic liners that you must buy through Sha-poopie. It seems wasteful and expensive. I would’ve been more into the Sha-poopie if it allowed you to use biodegradable plastic bags or re-use normal plastic bags, even sandwich bags or something, so that you’re not just creating more waste in our landfills. If you used a Sha-poopie 2x a day (at the least), it would be really expensive!

So as great as its name is, I’m not buying it.

Readers, what do you think about the Sha-poopie?

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