This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

When Dogs do Their Duty... And Their Owners Don't

Law requires dog owners to clean up their pet's waste, but not all residents take the law seriously

Residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant are finding more dog poop in the street these days. And with piles of snow hanging around longer than usual, it's giving some dog owners one more excuse not to pick up their pooch's poop.

Not cleaning up after your dog is illegal. In fact, dogs are prohibited from using most public places as a bathroom.

According to Section 161.03 of the New York City Health Code, dogs cannot poop on public sidewalks, or in any premise used in common by the public, such as fences, walls or stairways.

No matter where your dog goes, however, you are required by New York’s 1978 “pooper scooper” law to clean it up, or else face a $50 fine.

Additionally, dog owners are required to keep their dogs on a leash and under control, as the city's famous "Curb Your Dog" signs profess.

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I think we have a responsibility to pick up after our dogs,” said one woman, found cleaning up after her pet on Franklin Ave. “It’s not that hard to do.”

Another local dog-walker, Sheena, 26, is a little more flexible. “I pick it up almost all the time, except when he goes in a really hard-to-reach place, then I let it go,” she said while scooping up her dog’s poop near Bedford Hill coffee.

But some residents were not so concerned. Naomi, 19, lets her dog go off the leash when she’s walking him. “He hates the leash,” she explained. And she doesn’t always clean up after him. “When there’s all this snow, it’s fine to leave it,” she said.

“Not only as a dog owner, but as a home owner, I find it gross and annoying when dogs poop on the tree outside," said Jenny Ferguson, who lives with her family on Franklin Avenue. "I wish more people would pick up their dog poop. And I wish the city would provide more dog poop bags.”

The NYC government’s 311 line and website accepts reports of animal owners or property owners who fail to clean up animal waste in backyards, private lots, residential or commercial buildings, and other areas.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?