- 1 STORAGE HARNESS FOR AN ANIMAL FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a storage harness for an animal. The present 5 invention has particular but not exclusive application as a harness for a dog that has a storage compartment. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Dog waste deposited in a public place is unsightly, unpleasant and unhygienic 0 as well as being a potentially serious health hazard. There is legislation in many areas that require solid dog waste to be removed from public areas by the dog walker or handler. Failure to comply with the legislation can result in a fine being imposed. Accordingly, solid waste left by a dog must be removed by the dog walker when walking the dog in public areas such as streets, parks, beaches and the like. 5 The solid waste is commonly placed in a plastic bag. The bag is then sealed by tying the top. This sealed bag of dog waste must then be carried by the dog handler until a suitable bin is located for disposal of the bag. However, a bag containing dog waste is particularly inconvenient to carry, as well as being unsightly, malodourous, unpleasant and unhygienic. The task is particularly inconvenient if the dog handler is 0 walking more than one dog; running, jogging, cycling or otherwise exercising; or supervising children or babies. There are disadvantages with using and carrying bags with dog waste while walking dogs. 25 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of handling dog waste that overcomes at least in part one or more of the abovementioned problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 30 The present invention broadly resides in a storage harness for an animal having a container portion comprising a base and a cover closeable to form a compartment for storing collected animal waste, said container portion has an accessible pocket to store one or more unused bags for collecting animal waste; and -2 attachment means for attaching the container portion to the animal. Preferably the pocket is located internally within the compartment. Preferably the pocket is located on the underside of the cover. More preferably the pocket can be accessed when the closed base and cover is partially opened. 5 In an alternative embodiment the pocket is accessible from an external section of the container portion and more preferably from the outside surface of the cover. Preferably the storage harness is adapted to be worn by a dog. Preferably the attachment means are adapted to attach the container portion to the dog's back 0 with the base resting on the dog's back. The harness can take the shape of a dog jacket or dog garment. Preferably the attachment means comprise two pairs of straps, one pair adapted to fasten around the dog's neck and a second pair of straps adapted to fasten around the dogs ribs between the front legs and back legs. Preferably the 5 fastening means is hook-and-loop fastening. Preferably the base has a lip to prevent the contents within the compartment from falling out. Preferably the base and the cover are closeable with the use of a fastener. Preferably the cover is hinged to one side of the base and a fastener is extendable around three sides. More preferably the fastener is a zip-fastener. o Preferably the harness is made from material that is lightweight and washable. Preferably the compartment and the space within the pocket are separated. Preferably there is a second pocket located on the underside of the cover. Preferably the second pocket contains deodorising or odour neutralising material. 25 Preferably both the first and second pockets are located on the underside of the cover and arranged with the first pocket having an opening that is accessible when the base and cover is partially opened. Preferably the pockets are substantially rectangular in plan with the longer sides parallel to the hinged side of the container portion. 30 In a preferred embodiment the storage harness is fitted with an integral carry bag. The carry bag is positioned on the underside of the harness. Preferably the carry bag is positioned on the underside of the harness and on the section that rests on the animals back. Preferably the integral carry bag can be turned inside out to -3 accommodate the container portion and attachment means. Preferably the integral storage bag is fitted with a closure or fastener. In a preferred embodiment the harness has an attachment member to allow the attachment of a lead or leash or keys. More preferably the attachment member 5 is a D-ring or a carabiner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings 0 wherein: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a preferred embodiment of a dog harness showing the compartment closed and unzipped; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the preferred embodiment of Figure 1 showing the compartment fully open; 5 Figure 3 is a diagrammatic bottom view of the preferred embodiment of Figure 1 showing the integral storage bag; and Figure 4 shows the dog harness with a dog leash attached worn by a dog. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 0 With reference to Figures 1 to 3 there is shown a storage harness 10 for a dog. The storage harness 10 has a compartment 11 which is substantially rectangular in plan. There is a D-ring 32 for attaching a dog leash, keys and the like. The dog harness 10 is attachable to a dog using two pairs of straps. Straps 21 and 22 fasten around the dog's neck using a hook and loop fastening 23, 24. 25 Straps 25 and 26 fasten around the dogs ribs between the front legs and back legs using a hook and loop fastening 27, 28. The hook and loop fastenings such as sold under the trade name Velcro permit easy closure and release whilst providing adjustment to provide a secure fit. With reference to Figure 3, the compartment 11 is fitted with an integral carry 30 bag 30 on the underside of the harness 10. This permits the dog harness 10 to be carried conveniently, particularly if it becomes soiled or wet. The integral carry bag 30 has an opening 31. The integral storage bag 30 can be turned inside out to accommodate the dog harness 10. A closure such as a zip fastener, elastic, -4 drawstring or hook and loop fastener (not shown) can be used to close the opening 31. With reference to Figure 4, there is shown a dog harness 10 fitted to a dog 40. The compartment 11 is located on the dog's back with the base adjacent the dog's 5 back and the cover 13 facing outwards. The compartment 11 has a base 12 and a cover 13 joined together along one long side by a spine 14. There is a lip 19 surrounding the base 12. A continuous zip fastener 15 fastens the cover 13 to the base 12 along the remaining three sides of the compartment 11 to give a closed compartment. The zip fastener 15 is fully 0 closed when its pull tab is at the top end 29 of the zip fastener 15. The cover 13 has two internal pockets 16, 17. The base 12 forms a main compartment 18. The pockets 16, 17 and compartment 18 are arranged within the compartment 11 such that the contents of 16, 17 and 18 are kept separate, but the two pockets 16, 17 and compartment 18 can be sealed by a single closure 15. 5 Pocket 16 has an opening 20 adjacent to and facing the top end 29 of the zip fastener 15. This permits access to pocket 16 with minimal opening of the zip fastener 15 being required. This feature also allows access to the pocket 16 with minimal disturbance to the contents of the main compartment 18. The base 12 forms a main compartment 18 surrounded by lip 19. 0 Compartment 18 is suitable for the temporary storage and transportation of wrapped or bagged dog waste until a suitable disposal receptacle is located. This allows the dog waste to be carried and stored without the dog handler having to carry it. The dog waste is also concealed from view. The mesh pocket 17 can be used to contain deodorizing, odour absorbing or 25 odour neutralizing materials such as activated charcoal, chemical deodorizer tablets, sachets etc. The deodorizing or odour absorbing materials can be placed in pocket 17 through opening 33. The second pocket 16 has an opening 20 adjacent to and facing the top portion 29 of the zip fastener 15, the top portion 29 being the position of the pull tab 30 when the compartment is fully closed. The relative locations of opening 20 and the top portion 29 of the zip fastener 15 facilitates access to the contents of pocket 16, making it suitable for storage of items such as clean, unused dog waste bags or hand sanitizing gel. The location of the pocket 16 within the compartment 11 means -5 that, not only are the contents of the pocket 16 stored separately from the used waste bags stored in the compartment 18; but the contents of pocket 16 are also secured from falling out without the need for an additional fastening mechanism. The position of opening 20 adjacent the top end 29 of the zip fastener 15 together 5 with the relative arrangement of compartment 18 and pocket 16 allows access to the contents of pocket 16 without the need for a second, separate opening and fastening on the compartment. Furthermore, the contents of pocket 16 can be accessed without opening the entire zip fastener 15, or significantly disturbing any used waste bags contained in the compartment 18. 0 The lip 19 extends upward and around the base 12. The lip 19 helps to prevent bagged dog waste from falling out if the compartment 11 is opened up accidentally. The zip fastener 15 extends along three sides of the rectangular compartment 11 allowing the compartment 11 to be opened up fully for ease of emptying 5 compartment 18, cleaning the interior of the compartment, and restocking pockets 16 and 17. The dog harness 10 is attachable to a dog using two pairs of straps. Straps 21 and 22 fasten around the dog's neck using a hook and loop fastening 23, 24. Straps 25 and 26 fasten around the dogs ribs between the front legs and back legs 0 using a hook and loop fastening 27, 28. The dog harness 10 can be made in various sizes to fit different sizes of dogs. The hook and loop fastenings permit easy closure and release. They are relatively large to facilitate adjustment to provide a secure fit on the individual dog. Straps 21, 22, 26 and 27 are relatively wide for comfort. The dog harness is preferably made from lightweight, durable washable 25 fabrics known in the art. The harness is constructed using known methods such as stitching, heat welding or gluing. The compartment 11 is preferably made from waterproof lightweight washable fabric such as nylon or polyester. The compartment 11 can be insulated if required. The two cover pockets 16, 17 are preferably made from lightweight mesh 30 fabric. The pocket openings 20 and 33 are preferably elasticated. The continuous closure is preferably a zip fastener which effects complete closure of the compartment, but also allows the compartment to be opened up for -6 emptying and cleaning. Preferably the zip fastener is a heavy duty, weatherproof plastic zip fastener. The integral storage bag is preferably made from lightweight waterproof fabric such as nylon or polyester. 5 The harness can be made in various sizes to suit different sizes and breeds of dogs. Adjustable securing straps provide fine adjustment to secure the dog harness comfortably on the dog. The dog harness can be worn over a dog coat if necessary. The dog harness can be coloured, decorated or accessorised according to the 0 requirements of the dog owner ADVANTAGES An advantage of a preferred embodiment of the dog waste compartment of the present invention is that it eliminates the need for the dog walker to carry the bag 5 of dog waste. Immediate access to a waste bin is not necessary. Both used and unused dog waste bags can be carried conveniently, discretely and hygienically without having to be carried by a dog walker. The dog waste compartment encourages the dog walker to dispose of dog waste responsibly. The clean, unused and used dog waste bags are kept separate in a single o sealed pocket. There can be a separate pocket for a deodorizer. The compartments are arranged such that they are closed by a single closure. However clean bags can readily be accessed without disturbing any used bags being stored in the compartment. The interior of the compartment is maintained in a deodorized environment to reduce odours. 25 VARIATIONS It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations 30 thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.
-7 Throughout the description and claims this specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.