May 5, 2008
Fido Fines Double, Bring in 29K for City
Photo by Joe Schumacher.
Forget about the arrests for pot possession going up, it's now being reported that ticketing for not using the pooper-scooper is at an all time high!
The Dept. of Sanitation reports that 775 tickets for not following the Canine Waste Law (est. 1978) have been handed out since last July, a number that has more than doubled since the previous year. It's expected that number will rise even higher as the temperature does the same, WNBC reports that Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty says "He expects more tickets with the warm weather prompting dog owners to take longer walks with their pets and there's more daylight hours to spot offenders."
With 15 cops on the unfortunate beat, the commish is ready to collect some fines, which brought in $29,000 last year and are as high as $100. And people should watch out for vigilante residents who can't stand unscooped poop.
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"$29,000 last year"
Thats it? With the amount of shit that I stepped on last year, it seems to me that they're not doing a very good job ticketing people. You can hardly pay a McDonald's employee with the money they collected.
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I wish they'd give citizens the right to issue tickets for this stuff. This is worse than those lazy dimwits who throw their trash under the subway seat. I'm dying to catch that happening and ask the person "Is that how you were raised?" But I'll probably end up getting knocked around like Andrew Mindnich.
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I love spitting gum onto those little shaggy dogs. The owners don't even realize it until they get home and have to untangle that mess!
Good luck with that, ma'am. Next time keep that little mutt home with a bunch of newspapers.
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I love dogs, but if I ever catch someone letting their dog shit on the sidewalk near my apartment I'm going to kick it right in its little dog ribs.
That, or pick up the shit and throw it at the owner.
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The worst best rationale for not picking up is "it's raining out, so it'll just wash away." Yeeeahhh no.
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"leash, gutter and clean up after your dog"
the law not only specifies that owners clean up after their dogs, it also specifies that dogs not go on the sidewalks,or in flower beds, or on tree trunks. Sidewalks, esp in the warm weather, reek of dog urine in the yuppie neighborhood that I live in.
Get thee to the suburbs if you can't abide by the law. You won't be missed.
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Wow, please issue even MORE TICKETS for people who don't clean up dog poop!!!!
Oh yeah, and lets put that money towards painting bright yellow lines that designate the legal distance for ALL hydrants in the boroughs!
Less crap, get it?
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1978! They've had 30 years to get used to this law. I have no sympathy for these dog owners. I'd be happy if the fine was $1,000. There is NO excuse.
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As a dog owner I also agree that this law needs to be enforced much more often. I never see anyone getting tickets in my neighborhood and there is shit everywhere. It makes us responsible dog owners look bad. ALSO, I think horse riders/carriage drivers should have to pick up their animal's shit. Horse shit is almost as disgusting as dog shit and there is a lot more of it per animal. Parts of Central park are incredibly disgusting due to the amount of horse shit. Why do they get a free pass?
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UES is dog poop paradise. Fine the offenders but put the schmearers (the ones who pick up but leave a giant and wet skidmark on the floor) in jail!!
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Agreed. The fine is NOT enough. Make it at least $500.
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The fine is not enough... in fact, the most effective means of curbing the behavior of these pet owners is by flinging the fecal matter onto their backs when they are walking away (except in the case of 13 year old girls of course).
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"I love spitting gum onto those little shaggy dogs."
"That, or pick up the shit and throw it at the owner."
"the most effective means of curbing the behavior of these pet owners is by flinging the fecal matter onto their backs when they are walking away"
Got to love a Gothamist post that brings out the Internet Tough Guys as effectively as this one. Yeah, I'm convinced that you really would all that, and I'm thankful for your no-nonsense stance...dog owners bewarned, the keyboard tigers are talking shit, baby!
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Being a douche will not ratify another douche's behavior. Be the bigger man! Or woman!
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Yeah, this fine should be WAY higher. The UES is seriously like an obstacle course - I'm dodging dog shit up and down every single street.
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Fine? There shouldn't be a fine. First offense, you're issued a warning. Second offense, your dog gets killed on the spot and you have to watch.
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Singapore-style fines: $2500 for the first offense, public caning and humiliation for the second, and a week at beautiful Changhi Prison (or any suitably nasty local equivalent) for the third.
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Another reason I'm gung-ho about this is that I'm an owner of a little terrier, and other dogs' poop is a huge obstacle on our walks. She's gotta check out every turd she sees. (And, uh, sometimes it goes beyond merely checking it out.) So, between the people who don't pick up after their dogs, the idiots who drop chicken bones on the ground, those who throw stale bread out for the birds, and those who feed the feral cats, I basically want to kill everybody.
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Alot of you shit-heads are directing your poop-angst towards the dogs with talk of kickin them in the ribs or killing them on the spot. I'll make sure I cut you that same humane courtesy when I catch you pissing outside you fucking douchebags. You know who you are.
Otherwise, I agree that in this condensed city AND ESPECIALLY IN THE BX; there need be more and aggressive policing. Make poopbag dispensers with the law printed on them available for installation in bad areas. Common sense and humanity towards animals still doesn't prevail in this city of shite mongers.
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Why have dogs in first place? I love them, but would not sentence one to a life in a small apartment with 2 short breaks outdoor. On my way to work, I witness loony owners dragging poor pets across sidewalks, screaming whenever dogs want to sniff something or make contact with other canine.
Sure, dating is a b*tch in NYC, but a dog is not a substitute. Get cats people. Or rats.
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In a depressed moment a few years ago, I intentionally tried to step in dogshit while out running but it was winter and the crap had frozen; I passed over it without any satisfaction.
I don't speak anglish very well but I wonder why citizens are expected to pick up their dogs' shit but mounted policemen, whose horses shit out steaming extravaganzas that are the SIZE of small dogs, don't have to pick it up.
I'd like to see the policemen get off their horses' asses and pick up their huge piles of crap. In fact, I'd pay to see it, which would be another source of revenue for the city.