A revolting reality has emerged as the snow from January\u2019s storm melts away: New York City’s dog owners don\u2019t scoop their pets’ poop from the sidewalks.<\/p>\n
Sidewalks throughout the five boroughs resemble a dog run that\u2019s been neglected for weeks. For reasons known only to irresponsible dog owners, the below-freezing stretch of cold weather was accompanied by a total breakdown in canine cleanup.<\/p>\n
A review of 311 data confirms the obvious: New Yorkers are fed up with the brown minefields.<\/p>\n
New Yorkers lodged just under 1,000 complaints about dog waste on city streets and sidewalks this year, an 81% increase from the same period in 2025. On Feb. 11 alone, people filed 77 complaints about dog waste.<\/p>\n
The crappiest block in the city \u2014 at least according to 311 data \u2014 was 49th Street between Third and Fourth avenues in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The block got 28 complaints since snow started falling on Jan. 25.<\/p>\n
Resident Norma Rivera said the poop is a problem year-round. But it\u2019s not as bad in the warmer months \u201cbecause people are going to watch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
There were still smears of feces on the sidewalk up and down the block Wednesday, which was also strewn with other refuse.<\/p>\n
Don’t let the sweater fool you. It’s possible no one picked up that doodle’s doo doo.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we should be like Florida, where they provide trash, receptacles and bags for it,\u201d Rivera said. \u201c\u200aI mean snow or no snow, it’s still dog poop.\u201d<\/p>\n
In second place was Fort Washington Avenue between West 187th and 190th streets in Upper Manhattan, with 25 dog crap complaints. Next up was Riverside Drive near West 106th Street, with 14 complaints.<\/p>\n
Sanitation officials conceded that catching scofflaw dog owners in the act is difficult \u2014 and even floated deploying mobile cameras to track down offenders and fine them $250.<\/p>\n
\u201cDog owners know they have a legal responsibility to pick up dog waste, regardless of the weather or conditions on the ground,\u201d sanitation spokesperson Joshua Goodman said. \u201cIt is irresponsible and just gross to leave this behind anywhere, whether it\u2019s a sidewalk, a patch of grass or a snow pile.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Goodman said the law requires a sanitation enforcer to witness the turd hitting the pavement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe chances of someone not picking up after their dog while an enforcement officer is watching is very, very slim. So slim, that we issued just two summonses for failure to remove canine waste in 2025,\u201d Goodman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that people only leave piles behind when they know no one is watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Councilmember Chi Oss\u00e9 could do little more than share his outrage on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want the government to go to your house and wipe your a–?\u201d Oss\u00e9 said. He encouraged New Yorkers to report negligent dog owners to 311. \u201cThe state should apprehend you or your dog,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Sunset Park block with the most 311 complaints about dog poop also featured a lot of litter.<\/p>\n
Liam Quigley<\/p>\n