Jan. 28, 2014 By Christian Murray
Several Long Island City residents are complaining that there is a big dog poop problem in and around 45-45 Center Boulevard and they want dog owners and TF Cornerstone to clean it up.
Tinnille Neilsen, who lives at 46-15 Vernon Blvd, said that there are several dog owners who live in the vicinity of 45-45 Center Blvd who are just too lazy to pick up after their dog.
She said that there are typically mounds of poop on the sidewalk in front of 45-45 Center Blvd as well as in the building’s garden. In addition, she said, several bags—filled with dog excrement—are constantly scattered all over the building’s lawn.
“This whole area is littered with poop and nobody does anything about it,” Neilsen complained. “Dog owners don’t care and there is nobody cleaning it up,” she said.
However, TF Cornerstone, which owns the building, claims it’s on top of the problem.
“Cleanliness and maintaining a sanitary environment are a top priority for us,” according to a spokesperson for TF Cornerstone.
“Regular notices are sent to residents reminding them to curb their dogs. Our staff refills dog cleanup bags on a daily basis to make it even easier for residents to take care of their dogs.”
However, most dog owners don’t bother to use them, some residents claimed. One resident even complained that the dog run at 45-45 Center Blvd was constantly dirty.
However, Neilsen, who has two Boston Terriers, said that the pathway next to Anabel Basin is also a problem the Center Blvd community needs to address. “I typically don’t take my dogs over there,” she said. “It’s too gross.”
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37 Comments
@We see you – that was my hope.
KMH – hi i went to that link, i guess if we flood it, someone might take notice?
Please be so kind as to make a formal complaint with the city:
http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/1535/dog-or-animal-waste-complaint
I like the idea of a “funny” card that we give out to people, but they’ll probably just throw them onto the pile of poo and further litter the sidewalk.
This is an easy suggestion:
If you see someone messing up the park or side walk, explicitly take a picture of them, so it’s clear to them what you are doing.
Eventually, we can post them onto a blog – editing for any legal purposes of course.
We see you, I’ll bet some readers know who these people are. We should get cards that read “You’ve been Poo Patrolled” and hand them to the offenders. The card should explain why we don’t want their dogs crap all over our neighborhood.
Or get their photos posted on this blog.
Good work, Poo Patroller!
A thin asian man in a colorful jogging outfit had his large-ish white dog literally crapping right beside the fence of the new school. I asked him to curb his dog.
Another asian man and his girlfriend were running their large beige dog off-leash in the field in Gantry park.
Another young lady had her small poodle crapping right in the middle of the sidewalk at the “hole” area in Gantry park.
Then there’s the lady who brings in her small poodle into the new playground.
Obviously, there’s the small green area from the Vernon run, that’s another defacto poo area.
This is just a sample of what I’ve seen. There are too many stories of dog owners who think no one cares or no one is going to do anything.
We need a Poo Patrol, it will set a context that this community cares about its parks and streets.
The Poo Patrol!
I wouldn’t mind taking a few hours over the weekend with a group of fellow pissed off neighbors, and confront every guilty individual we see. Ill politely pick up their dog’s shit and proceed to smack them dead across their pathetic face, with a smile of course. Very vigilante, I know.. but nothing else seems to be getting the job done.
Eventually when the density of people is too much to handle, we will have to ban dogs over a certain size and then eventually ban all dogs. The day is coming for bans as cities get more and more dense.
Yes, of course there isn’t any excuse for not cleaning up your dog. And of course not all dog owners are so irresponsible. And of course nearly everyone doesn’t want to see piles of dog crap everywhere.
But beyond all sitting around nodding our heads agreeing, what are we going to do about it?
I think the owners of the property should be fined heavily for not cleaning their property. And this is something that can be done right now. Only when they are stuck paying these fines will there be more aggressive actins be taken against tenants for flouting the law.
I’m going to preface this by saying that I think it’s pretty obvious to most people, especially dog owners, but I have spoken to a lot of folks who have openly admitted that they honestly didn’t know what “curb your dog” meant. Ignorance? Language barrier? Apathy? Regardless of the reason, if you own a dog, it is your responsibility to clean up after it. I can’t imagine a dog owner being ok with leaving a soiled wee-wee pad in their apartment or actual pools of pee or mounds of poo on their floor…but that’s just it. If it’s out in public, it’s “not their problem” and “someone else will pick it up” because it’s at a public park or on someone else’s property.
I recently adopted a new puppy and have owned dogs in the past and have NEVER allowed my dog to pee or poop on the sidewalk. I’ve spent the time to train them to go just on the other side of the curb on the street where people usually don’t walk (granted someone may step there if they have cars and park them there or are jaywalking in the middle of the block), but I always clean up their feces to my best ability (it may be difficult if the pup is sick, but I still do what I can).
The point I’m trying to make is that there is no excuse for not cleaning up after your dog and to take the time to train them to go by the curb.
The problem is primarily the dog not taking responsibility to make sure its poop is picked up. A properly trained dog knows how to signal it’s owner that it is about to do its business. A dog can be trained to howl loudly and make a jumping movement to alert other people nearby if the owner walks away without picking up the crap. It’s also possible to train dogs to position themselves over sewer grates to pee or take a crap.
Dogs that don’t have proper toilet training should not be allowed in any of the buildings in the neighborhood. This can be easily enforced by building management.
I’m sure these same irresponsible dog owners are so offended that they can’t bring their dogs into the north section of Gantry State Park. There was a dog free zone by Center Blvd and the soccer field (near Sweet Leaf) and the fact that that was changed (overruled?) to let people have their dogs ruin the grass and poop all over the place is downright sad.
There are many irresponsible dog owners out there. They truly do not know what it means to Curb Your Dog. They feel it’s their child and that it is entitled to go anywhere, including the indoor flea and food. I’ve seen it happen.
Many commenters are correct in writing that these people need to be told that what they are doing is inconsiderate and that if they want to own a dog they need to have it do it’s business in the gutter and clean it up. It’s common courtesy.
A lot of it is laziness too. When it’s very cold outside, they think the rules don’t apply. Also, there are fewer people walking around to witness their irresponsibility.
There are plenty of dog runs in the neighborhood so there is no excuse.
I have neighbors who are very good dog owners and really care that they’re doing the right thing.
Not necessarily the topic at hand, but has anyone noticed how often people in LIC let their dogs runs loose without a leash?? They are breaking the law, not to mention putting pedestrians and children at risk of dog bites. Furthermore, their dogs are probably crapping freely all over the neighborhood. Dog owners head my plea: you think your dog is cute. I don’t. Keep your slobbering, stinky dog on a leash and away from my children’s faces.
the whole “it’s a small minority” thing is a little off.
It’s like broken windows theory, as soon as one dog owner sees another one breaking the rules, then it causes a tipping point.
Right now, LIC is being flooded with as much people and money as the developers can before it goes to hell.
Maybe JVBramer can pay for enforcement officers.
I was walking in Gantry park and saw two dog owners running their dogs together. They were saying “I guess everyone does this.”
There is no enforcement. We need a crackdown.
I have been asking/informing nicely dog owners to not let their dogs pee on trees, pee or poop in the gardens planted by parks department and city parks through out the neighborhood and every resposne I have gotten has been nasty! There is a sense of entiltment that seems to come with alot of dog owners who feel they can do what ever they want. I walk to work every day to my office at queens plaza and the dog poop/piss that is on sidewalks and in the gardens is disgusting.
It’s getting pretty gross,seems like those folks
Really don’t respect their environment!
They should be fined. It’s actually looking like
The lower eastside and upper east side with
Poo everywhere. Yuck! Get your shit together
Or get out!
“Lazy, entitled 1%er pigs, Mike Novak. Not hipsters.”
lol
i live there in 47-20 – hardly a 1 pct-er
just someone who works hard
People are saying to confront the offenders, but that isn’t always an easy thing to do. We and our concerns are invisible to these people.
Case in point. About year ago, I saw a young Asian woman with a pug let her dog take a dump directly on the new flowers I had just planted near my street tree right outside my house. There’s a sign that says “please curb your dog” right there. I think it was the gall of her actions that infuriated me and made me go outside and confront her, something I wouldn’t normally do.
“Miss, I think you left something here!!,” I yelled as I walked quickly down the block after her with her dog’s crap in a sheet of newspaper. She was walking fast down the block away from me and I saw her looking over her shoulder. These people have no class. And, who knows, maybe that kind of behavior isn’t frowned upon in certain cultures.
Only stiff penalties from the police and landlords will ever stop these inconsiderate neighbors. If I found out where she lived, I would have tried to make sure she received the soiled newspaper.
If you see a dog pissing or pooping on sidewalk, use your phone to take a photo of the dog and the owner and post it local websites!
It’s not just Center Boulevard but all of Hunters Point. It has been a real problem for a while and just gets worse with each new condo and group of entitled dog owners that move in. I’ve heard it referred to as “Long Island Sh!%$y” for years now.
True: There are many irresponsible people who own dogs. To them I say:
It is unsanitary and rude to leave dog poop behind. Parasites and diseases can be transmittable through feces, which puts children and other animals at risk. Furthermore, no one wants to track waste into their homes nor have their community infested with flies and terrible odors.
Solution: just pick up after your dog and dispose the waste in public trash, NOT in your neighbor’s.
Second, avoid having your dog pee right in front of your building. It can be hazardous during frigid weather, unsightly and damaging to the sidewalk.
Solution: Take your pet away from high traffic areas and train your dog to urinate in gutters or on nonliving vertical surfaces, such as lampposts or hydrants. Avoid trees and flowerbeds.
The rest of us should hold others accountable for their piss-poor etiquette. If you see someone disrespecting your neighborhood, say something. Politely explain why they should clean up after their dog. If that does work, complain to your building’s management. An eviction notice will set them straight.
“Does anyone think the hipsters blah blah blah.” Translation: I’m a fuckin idiot and damn proud.
There are tons of dogs in the hood, and I’d say a small minority is to blame. Nevertheless, that still constitutes lots of dogs and lots of feces. Sanitation should be hounded until they send some enforcement officers. Shouldn’t be too hard to ID some culprits. Particularly the dog walkers as someone mentioned.
Lazy, entitled 1%er pigs, Mike Novak. Not hipsters.
Of course the building should be responsible. And they should threaten eviction to any of their own tenants caught allowing their dogs to shit.
Point a few of web cams at the street and poop shame them.
The picture of all the bags on the grass is bc the trash can blew over in the strong wind. Signage does not help.
I have a dog at 4545 and I see residents come out of the building with their dogs and they let them urinate on the “curb your dog sign”.
I have never received any notices regarding cleaning up after a pet, so that’s false.
I think dog owners need to pay close attention to who they hire as dog walkers. I have seen some dog walkers come out with 10 dogs at a time and there is no way they can keep track of all the poop and that is assuming that they care to do so. It is not enough to say I am a responsible dog owner because I personally clean up after my dog but you should make sure that the people you hire are as responsible as you are.
What a shame. Such nice buildings/area ruined by those few inconsiderate people. I find the buildings that aren’t 100% rentals don’t have as much of these issues. If you see something say something!
Dog owners are in charge of their dog poop! Use the bags that are given to you buy the city if your too cheap to buy your own bags.
lol @ Mike Novak who has obviously never been to Center Blvd. but feels obligated to post an ignorant comment.
where have all the City garbage cans gone? There are several of them that have been removed from all over LIC. It’s a problem.
What hipsters?
I have have had several sit down meetings with TF Cornerstone’s management about this problem and they have repeatably said that it is not their problem. They claim they are not responsible for these dogs and the dog owners. They refuse to put up signage and I am doubtful that they send letters to the dog owners. So it’s humorous to hear them say that they are on top of it.
Additionally, they say that they do not allow dogs over 50 lbs to live in the building, but I know first hand that there are plenty of dogs which exceed this limit. They will do anything to make a buck, now if there was just some way to make the accountable.
Keep calling 311 and keep complaining to TF Cornerstone management. We deserve better.
Does anyone really think that Hipsters will bend over to pick up Poop?
The frozen pools of dog piss all over the sidewalk right in front of the building entrances up and down Center Blvd. are also a joy. I don’t understand why people insist on getting dogs in the city, and then if they do get a dog, why so many owners are too lazy to give them a proper walk to AT LEAST the curb and preferably to a designated dog run/area.
I’m sure there are some considerate and good dog owners in the neighborhood, but the bad ones make a mess of the whole place for everyone. Disgusting.