You'll Pay the Price If You Don't Scoop the Poop

While the State Assembly may be the face of dysfunction, we have to say their passage of a bill allowing New York City to increase the "failure to scoop dog doo" fine is something we can get behind. The bill, which would open the gate for fines to be increased from $100 to $250, still needs the State Senate's and Governor Spitzer's approval, but Assemblyman Audrey Pheffer of Howard Beach tells amNewYork he's sure it'll pass. "The fact is, it is a nuisance, it's a health problem."

It turns out that while fines are $100, most dog owners only pay $50. amNY says that the NYPD plus sanitation and parks employees are authorized to fine non-scooping dog owners, but that makes us think: Allow citizens to make citizen's arrest if dog owners leave poop behind. It might be fascist, but who wants poopy sidewalks?

Do you confront dog owners who don't scoop their dog's poop? And remember Joel Krupnik, who threw offending dog doo back at the dog's young owner? He pleaded guilty and got 10 days community service, was sent to mental health counseling, and had to pay $88 to reimburse the girl for her jacket. And a post about dog poop must mention New York Shitty.

Photograph by thelexiphane on Flickr who suggests the stencil is also asking, "No Poops of Diminishing Size Please"

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment, News on February 22, 2007 1:38 PM

Comments [rss]

fcbkingdom

go to freewebs.com/fcbkingdom to learn about how dog waste is harmful to the invirement.

Rich

For all those calling for enforcement, you can call 311. They will ask you for the location and a time you think the offense occurs and they will send someone to investigate and ticket if necessary. Also they do not put up new signs because the law is so old they think everyone knows it already. Where can we get a copy of that stencil?

Start calling and get those offenders busted. A couple of $250 fines later they will either pick up or get rid of the dog.

bigmissfrenchie

The lack of poop-scooping in my neighborhood in Brooklyn has gotten completely out of control. It seems that as soon as it got cold out, everyone decided it was just too much damned trouble to pick up their dog's crap. As the owner of three dogs, I know that there is just no excuse for this other than sheer laziness and the "screw everyone else" attitude that these people have!

Jibba Jabba

Can you please have them enforce this in brooklyn? The walk from my apartment to the end of the block this morning yielded five fresh poo piles and about half a dozen old poo shmears.

People who don't pick up their dog's poo should have their goddamn plumbing turned off while people take craps on their floors.

daisy

Enforcement is a huge problem in lower Washington Heights. Without it, the amount of the fine does not matter.

Riddle me This

So who's gonna pay the fine for not scoopin' up the big fuckin' TURD we have in the White House?.

amy

astoria, in the ditmars area, is the worst for dog poop on the sidewalks. i just don't get it.

smitty

Ira, that's Murray Hill for ya!

sheila

Ira: that's when you whip out the camera phone...

Glenn

Simple solution - install one of those baggie dispensers on every block so there's no excuse for not having a bag. I saw one of these screwed into a parking sign post on W90th and CPW

Glenn

Simple solution - install one of those baggie dispensers on every block so there's no excuse for not having a bag. I saw one of these screwed into a parking sign post on W90th and CPW

Glenn

Simple solution - every block has a little box full of those little bags - make them biodegradable or whatever. I saw one of these on W90th and CPW screwed into a parking sign post. No dog poop left behind on that block - no excuse. That's an easy thing for a block or neighborhood association to do.

Ira

I nearly got into a fight with some angry yuppie in my neighborhood (Murray Hill) over dog poop. It was around 10 pm, I was on my way home and passed him as his dog was taking a crap. I noticed him casually sauntering onward, so I looked back over my shoulder and said, "Hey, buddy, you mind picking that up?"

He whipped around and said "What!?", so I repeated myself, along with "I live around here, I don't like stepping in dog poop." At which point he started quickly walking towards me, dragging his dog along behind him, saying something along the lines of, "What's your f***in' problem? You want to f***in' start something?" I shook my head and turned around, walking the other way, with him swearing at me until I was out of earshot.

If I could report him, I gladly would. He's gonna let his dog make a mess and then give me attitude? Screw him.

not with bernie

don't kill the dog, it's not his fault his owner didn't pick up his poop!

And actually, in response to Janelle, it's always the younger (early/mid twenties) people who I see failing to pick up after their dog. Which isn't to say that they all do it, or that all people older than that do pick up, just that it's probably a pretty good cross section of lazy people of all ages who don't clean up.

matthew

My neighborhood (northern greenpoint) is a god damned mine field of dog-shit. I doubt anyone will actually police this, though..

i'm with bernie

third offense - kill the owner

MT

Stewart gets the responsible New Yorker of the week gold star. :-)

stawert

XX Street is one of the worst places for dog poop.

spiv

First Offense - force the owner to eat a big handful

Second Offense - kill the dog

stewart

This is so ironic!

Yesterday on our early morning walk, my dog took two poops, but, alas, I brought only one bag and had already disposed of it. It was unusual since he usually takes care of everything in one fell swoop.

I walked down the street to where the free newspaper bins were, went back to the poop and actually used a copy of amNY to pick it up (that's the ironic part). This took 2-3 minutes.

This morning on my walk a guy said to me (in a nice way), "that dog looks like one I saw taking a poop yesterday on XX street and no one picked up his poop". I just kept walking, (wasn't worth the justification, etc) but this goes to show you:

- there is somebody always watching in this city

- good for that guy for saying something to me

- you should always bring at least two doodie bags on a walk

While I will try hard not to be in this situation again, what if I have every intention of picking up the poop but need to walk a few hundred feet to get something to pick it up with? Can I get in trouble? I'm not sure anyone would believe me. How far away can you walk before being charged with poop abandonment?

p.s. I don't want poopy sidewalks either.