Man vs. Dog: When the Call to Doody Becomes a Call for Duty

Let’s be perfectly frank: All living creatures receive the daily “call to doody.”

But when it comes to our beloved city pets – particularly dogs – who must answer that call in the concrete jungle, the issue becomes, well, a little “sticky.”

The problem of dog feces left on city sidewalks is huge in Brooklyn. And quite honestly, residents are losing patience.

“It’s a quality of life issue,” said Catherine Arline, president of the 81st Precinct Community Council. At the most recent meeting in April, Arline raised the issue of dog waste left all around the streets of Bed-Stuy and wanted to know what NYPD could do to help.

A Bed-Stuy resident named Lera Potts stood up at the meeting. She shared that she had long ago grown tired of dog feces around her brownstone property, so she took matters into her own hands. According to Potts, finally, after years, she was able to get rid of the problem.

Bed-Stuy Patch later sat down with Ms. Potts to get the 411 on her plan of attack. She shared with us a list of items in her personal war chest, and we hope her tactics are helpful to you as well:

“Every time I stepped out of my door there was feces on the sidewalk, and I was tired of it,” said Potts. “And it doesn’t make a difference where you live in New York City, the problem is everywhere: I work near Madison Avenue and Park Avenue, and they have the same problem. It’s just that their doormen clean it up.”

Also, Potts pointed out, the problem is not just isolated to dogs. Potts spoke of a lady on her block that used to feed stray cats. As result, the cats would gather and then defecate in everyone else’s yard.

“I’m not a clean freak. But what happened is, one day I pulled into my driveway and then when I stepped out of the car, I stepped into some dog feces, and it was full of blood,” said Potts. “That did it for me. Not only did someone let the dog do that here in my driveway, but the dog was sick.”

So Ms. Potts called 311 who transferred her to the Department of Sanitation. DOS asked her for the location of the incident and the times it usually occurs. Two days later, DOS sent someone out in a car who watched the area for a few days.

They ended up catching a few people and as a result, issuing summonses. Potts said she wasn’t sure if the lady who feeds the cats got a summons as well, but DOS said it spoke to the lady about it, and the problem stopped.

“There are laws on the books, and you can call, and someone will come out,” said Potts. “People complain about the problem, but aren’t willing to go to the source. The community thinks someone’s gonna drop from the sky and fix their problem? No, they’re not thinking about us unless we speak up. If we, the people complain enough, then they will enforce it. But we’re not saying anything.”

DOS gave Potts “Curb Your Dog” flyers. She made copies and posted them on her trees and her door.

And then, a co-worker mentioned a product called Creolin.

Creolin is an industrial sanitizer to clean kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Something in the smell discourages dogs from stopping and using the bathroom wherever it is sprayed.

The 16 ounce bottle of Creolin costs 12.99, and, according to Potts, it can last up to a year. Creolin can be purchased at some drug stores and online.

“Once you get it, it will be a familiar scent. It’s an excellent household cleaner,” said Potts. “I usually mix it in a big jug and dilute it with one part water and sprinkle it over the sidewalk and street about once a month and after a rain. The effects last a long time.”

For the cats, Potts went to Home Depot and purchased an owl statue, filled it with sand and set it in her yard

“Since then, I haven’t had a problem with dog or cat droppings,” said Potts. “I realize we live in New York City, we get busy and we tend to just accept whatever is going on because we say, 'Hey, this is New York, this is how it is.’

“But my experience with the sanitation department has been great. I’ve seen a lot of things improve in the last year. I’m doing this because I want to live better. Why do I have to look up to other communities when I want the same thing for my own?

“In our community, not much is gonna get done unless we’re willing to take action and speak up. That’s what I did. And it worked.”