Nothing ruins a walk through the neighborhood faster than stepping into something smelly and squishy\u2014and New Yorkers say it\u2019s happening way too often. A new report shows complaints about dog poop are piling up across the five boroughs, with residents calling out careless owners, weak enforcement and a shortage of free bag dispensers.<\/p>\n
According to the city\u2019s Office of Technology and Innovation, which oversees the 311 system, dog waste complaints jumped to 1,950 this year through August 21, up from 1,750 during the same period last year. Gothamist\u2019s analysis of the data<\/a> revealed one particularly stinky hotspot: Washington Heights\u2019 10032 zip code<\/a>, where complaints skyrocketed more than 700 percent. Flatbush and Far Rockaway followed close behind.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: Your dog is now legally a member of the family, says a New York judge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n New York\u2019s \u201cpooper scooper law\u201d<\/a> has been on the books for nearly 50 years, requiring owners to clean up after their pups or face fines of up to $250. But enforcement is rare\u2014only eight tickets have been issued in the past two years\u2014leaving sidewalks as fecal minefields. \u201cSometimes you see that somebody\u2019s dog has a really big accident,\u201d said Washington Heights resident Jacqueline Zelaya, who calls the mess \u201celephant poop.\u201d<\/p>\n Even well-meaning owners can make matters worse. Some dutifully bag their dogs\u2019 business, then abandon the bags under trees or scaffolding, creating smelly mounds that are no less gross. And while the Parks Department has installed more than 1,100 free bag dispensers since 2017, 51 city zip codes still don\u2019t have a single one.<\/p>\n The Department of Sanitation admits the problem is a quality-of-life issue. Officials say they\u2019ve tried patrols and ad campaigns and are even exploring mobile cameras to catch violators in the act. Still, enforcement is tricky: Officers must witness the offense firsthand. \u201cIf you\u2019re responsible enough to own a dog, you should be responsible enough to clean up after it,\u201d Staten Island Councilmember Frank Morano told amNew York<\/a>.<\/p>\n Public health experts warn that the issue goes beyond ruined sneakers. Dog waste can harbor harmful bacteria and parasites like Giardia, E. coli and Staph, posing risks for kids and people with weaker immune systems.<\/p>\n Until there are more bag dispensers, tougher enforcement\u2014or maybe just a little more peer-to-peer shaming\u2014the city\u2019s sidewalks will remain a game of hopscotch, so watch your step.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nothing ruins a walk through the neighborhood faster than stepping into something smelly and squishy\u2014and New Yorkers say…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":176940,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,10336,405,403,10337,5226,5225,5228,5227,1072,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-176939","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-categories-things-to-do","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-news-city-life","13":"tag-newyork","14":"tag-newyorkcity","15":"tag-ny","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-things-to-do","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115094948682226618","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}