Pet Waste NY Sign

I’ve been living in New York City for about two years and a half and as an amazing city as it is; however,  we live surrounded by shit! Pardon my language, but calling it feces doesn’t sound as disgusting as it should and I really need it to sound disgusting! There’s not a day that goes by that I can freely walk the sidewalks of New York without having to worry about stepping on some shit – literally!

If you are a dog owner and won’t clean up after your dog, as the law says then don’t get a dog.

The dangers of not cleaning up after your pooch are:

• It pollutes our groundwater and is potentially harmful to our ecosystem;
• It attracts disease-carrying pests and flies. Rats feed on dog feces. Enough said! And, of course, flies are not only a nuisance but can transmit diseases also;
• It could endanger the health of your family, particularly young children;
• Diseases and parasites can easily be transmitted to other pets through feces;
• Odor is another huge reason for clearing dog poop. Not only is the smell offensive to you, it could also present a problem with your neighbors if left for any amount of time;
• It should NEVER be used as garden compost as both dog and cat waste can carry many parasites, even in “healthy” pets;
• It isn’t good fertilizer for your lawn. Unlike cow manure, pet waste is protein based which makes it toxic to your grass (large, brown bare patches?).

NY Dog Waste Sign

In New York City, as the Public Health Law 1310 states, the maximum fee for failing to clean after your dog is $100. First, I think it should be more than $100 and second, how is it enforced? In most residential neighberhoods there are no cops, who’s supposed to enforce this law? Now with the recession and all these budget cuts, guess how many new policemen will be out there? Um… none, the training for 1,000 policeman has been cancelled.

What can we do?

1- Enforce the law yourself.

If you see a suspicious package or activity do not keep it to yourself (hehe). No seriously, yell at whoever you notice that is not picking up after their dogs. If you see a policeman around call them and inform them that this person is effectively BREAKING THE LAW.

2- Dog Poop DNA

I know it sounds strange, but currently residents of the Israeli town of Petah Tikva are doing this. Basically they’ll take a sample of your dog’s DNA and then if you left your dog shit on the sidewalk , they’ll pick it up, analyze it and make sure you get the bill.

Let’s all take a stand for this, for our health. After all if you step on it you will bring it home indeed, bringing with it illnesses and and an awful stench.