Dog days are over in the Upper East Side.
Julie Menin, a councilwoman for New York City whose district includes Manhattan’s swanky neighborhood, revealed a proposal on Monday to put up more than 250 metal signs on roadways in the UES warning dog owners to tidy up after their animals.
The winning design shows a dog wearing a Statue of Liberty costume carrying a scooper and a bone, along with the message, “Clean Streets for All – Pick Up After Your Pup!”
Menin stated that her initiative comes in response to an increase in the number of complaints. “There are serious health implications for this,” said Menin. “But it’s also a quality of life issue, people don’t want to step in this. This is just common courtesy to pick up after your dog.”
According to Menin’s office, the metal signage will be put up on partnered buildings, schools, and LinkNYC kiosks throughout Council District 5, which includes a portion of the Upper East Side.
Current legislation requires people in New York to pick up dog poop or pay a $250 fine, but that doesn’t seem to have bothered the owners.
In a study published last January, scientists at Marymount Manhattan College discovered a remarkable number of fecal bacteria in many sample collections from the Upper East Side sidewalks. According to the findings, people’s dwellings were at danger for a significant amount of germ contamination from their shoe bottoms.
