Note to those who don’t like the word “poop”: read no further.

Everyone loves spring, don’t they? The whole idea of saying “So long, winter!” is pretty appealing. The buds on the trees, the warmth on your face, the clear view of the grass for the first time since November.

Yet, as a dog owner, I also secretly dread spring. No matter how “meticulous” I tried to be during the frigid months, there was just no way to catch all of the, um, droppings. Especially when my dogs go out right before bed and again at 6:30 a.m. when the last thing one wants is to venture outside into the blizzards and ice of Michigan. I gave it my all, but I just couldn’t keep up as the snow continued to fall.

And now, layer after layer of snow melts away to reveal the unmentionables. Last year was bad enough with just one dog. This year…well, it wasn’t pretty. My neighbors would have had a nice chuckle if they were outside while I was tip-toeing precariously through my lawn during the last couple of weeks, grumbling and cursing to myself, and saying (out loud, of course) to my dogs, “Why can’t you just hold it during the wintertime? Is that too much to ask?”

Today the onset of spring really does smell much sweeter. Because several bags full of doogie poop have been dispatched and I’ve managed to get my yard back to normal. Finally I can enjoy my favorite season as the birds tweet, the sun shines and the garbage truck hauls it all away.