the ultimate debate: rake, shovel or hand?

brought to you by the association of professional animal waste specialists (no lie):

btw, did you know that the average dog generates 274 pounds of poo each year? because apparently the epa does. can i specify that i want my tax dollars (all $36 of them, cuz i'm a baller) to go towards the crucial exploration of this quickly growing market?

also, can someone explain why is the wsj allocating two writers to covering this? it seems like a story more up offbeat cnn's alley. that, or the insider.