Daily News Article and Letter to Editor

FROM NY Daily News, Sat, 31 March 2007, page 6

Sanit set to curb dogs With new poop-scoop campaign

SICK OF SCRAPING DOG-DOO OFF YOUR SHOES?

The Sanitation Department is stepping up to do some- thing about it with a campaign to remind New Yorkers to curb their canines - or pay steep fines.

"We. want to get the Health Department involved and possibly get the mayor out there, too," Sanitation Commis- sioner John Doherty said yesterday.

He discussed the effort at a City Council hearing in which some lawmakers griped they can barely walk in some parks because of the dog poop.

Doherty said that starting next month, a public service announcement - either on TV or in print - will warn New Yorkers that they must clean up after their pets. He noted that fines for not scooping are expected to rise to $250 from $100. The Assembly already has passed a measure that authorizes the city to increase the minimum penalty, and the bill is awaiting action by the state Senate and Gov. Spitzer.

Kathleen Lucadamo

= = = = = = = = Letter to Editor NY Daily News = = = = = = = =

Call me some sort of fool, but isn’t it true that some lawmakers “can barely walk in some parks because of the dog poop” because Mayor Bloomberg directed the Health Department to allow the Parks Department to unleash the dogs in our parks?

Now, the Sanitation Department wants to get the get the Health Department involved and “get the mayor out there, too.”

Hey! The Health, Parks Departments and the mayor have been “involved” in this dog poop problem from the very start.

Responsible New Yorkers have been complaining directly to Bloomberg for far more than a year; he is entirely aware of the problem. A Civic Association even used its own precious funds to sue the city to require the leashing of the dogs in all the parks at all times.

The mayor’s defense? That the city had been violating the law for more than 20 years, using an “Unwritten law” to give itself permission to do so. Naturally, it was unable to produce any such “Unwritten law”, claiming that since it was unwritten they didn’t have to produce it.

So, you delicate lawmakers, raise the fine for not cleaning up after the dog to as high as it takes to convince dog owners it better to clean up than to be cleaned out.

Then, override the mayor, the Health and Parks Department and enact a leash law that requires all dogs to be leashed at all times in all public places, and that the leash extend no greater than 6 feet from the hand of a responsible person who can completely control the dog.

A dog owner can't curb a dog that's not at the end of a leash.

That's a simple law to write, understand and enforce. Let Bloomberg explain why it's not a good idea!

That sure beats stepping in dog poop all through our parks. Let's do it for the kids.