New Yorkers are a tough breed and we get around the city on foot regardless of the weather. Walking 20 or 40 blocks has become no big deal to stouthearted citizens looking to be better friends of the environment.
However, even the heartiest and most experienced city dweller can fall victim to a common enemy that strikes fear among the toughest of us The “Pooper-trator!”
We all know the type. They walk their dog, and when the pooch does its business, they stand by its side trying to look casual - all the while carefully looking left and right, checking for possible witnesses.
That is because quite often, even before their dog has finished its business, they have decided not to bother to clean up, not caring if they turn streets and sidewalks into minefields where every step carries a potentially unpleasant surprise.
Currently, the city is the cleanest it has been in over three decades. However, no matter how much merchants and residents sweep their sidewalks and pedestrians use corner litter baskets and comply with Sanitation regulations, inconsiderate dog owners can spoil a perfectly clean block through their blatant disregard for the law, making the daily walks of their fellow New Yorkers look more like obstacle course events.
This is a problem that affects us all because - whether for pleasure or for practical reasons - New Yorkers tend to walk a lot.
The practical side of walking is that in big cities, with lots of traffic, getting from one place to another on foot is sometimes easier and faster. However, walking in the Big Apple is also a fascinating experience.
Ours is a unique city where in the course of a few blocks, we may be treated to the most extraordinary array of ethnic restaurants, idiosyncratic boutiques, colorful bodegas, big luxury department stores, trendy tattoo parlors and the list goes on and on. No matter how exotic a store, chances are it can be found here. Moreover, when the warm weather arrives . . . we rediscover the pleasure of weekend strolls! Nevertheless, this pleasure can only be enjoyed on clean streets and sidewalks.
This is the reason why the Sanitation Department has started a far-reaching citywide campaign to encourage New Yorkers to comply with the law and pick up after their dogs. Through outreach programs we aim to educate the public on the fact that canine waste is not only an unsightly nuisance, but it can also pose health hazards when it is not cleaned up.
Our campaign includes “Don't be a ‘Pooper-trator'” ads and posters to heighten public awareness, to be followed by intensive enforcement. The ads feature a cartoon of a dog and its owner with a ‘pooper scooper' in hand, telling New Yorkers not to be “Pooper-trators” because it is the law to pick up after their dogs, and to keep New York clean and beautiful.
These ads are currently appearing in weekly newspapers and are posted on 2,000 Sanitation collection trucks citywide. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is assisting in the campaign by including a “clean-up-after-your-dog” message along with dog-licensing renewal mailings, and distributing fliers to veterinarian clinics and pet shelters citywide.
Sanitation's current campaign seeks to educate the public into the “Pooper Scooper” law - officially known as Section 1310 of the New York State Public Health Code - which became law in New York City on August 1, 1978. With the enactment of this law, the Big Apple became the first major American city requiring dog owners and dog walkers to be responsible for picking up and disposing of their dog's waste. Many other cities across the country - and around the globe - followed suit with similar ‘pooper scooper' laws.
In the city, enforcement agents for the Departments of Sanitation and Parks and Recreation are authorized to issue canine waste violations. In fact, Sanitation has been actively enforcing the Pooper Scooper Law for 29 years.
We've recently increased the size and scope of our specifically trained Canine Enforcement Task Force to help make our spring offensive a success. The bottom line is that - whether scofflaws choose to acknowledge it or not - failure to clean up after your dog is a violation of a State law and it carries a fine ranging from $50 to $100. In addition, there is talk in the State Legislature about increasing the fines!
It is time that all responsible dog owners pick up after their dogs so that New Yorkers may reacquaint themselves with the simple pleasure of long walks and clean shoes!
John J. Doherty is the New York City Commissioner of Sanitation
