This Week's Story
click here to play audioMixing New York City pet dogs, dog poo, and walking means trouble with a capital T.
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
Just, not here. Please! part one
I was on my first spring power walk in New York City, and I was pumping with energy! I walked fast on the Central Park Loop Path and could not resist looking at beautiful new growth. I should have gone walking during dog on-leash hours, but my favorite hours for exercise are off-leash hours from 6:00 A.M. to 9:00 AM.
New York City has a problem with dog poop in the wrong places. Many New Yorkers have slipped and slid in dog poo. Soon I was slipping and sliding. Dog poo smeared my shoes and ankles. I was a stinking mess!
“What’s the matter with this place? Does dog poop in the wrong places need to be on government lists with homelessness, lack of affordable housing, and crime?
“I hate looking down and checking for dog poo. I need eyeballs that scan the ground ahead of me. I’m not ignorant, just stubborn. Poop brings stink, filthy shoes, bent tail bones, flies, parasites, and infectious diseases.”
I had heard Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York from 2014 to 2021, in an interview on WNYC advise, “I’d say to people if you’re not going to bother to clean up after your dog, don’t have a dog.”
City government agencies have requested funds to clean the streets of dog poo. Every year citizens have made public complaints.
A sign in the city reads:
Poop
Happens…
Just not here…
Please!
It is officially estimated that America’s dogs produce 10.6 million tons of poo every year. I don’t know what New York City dogs produce. I am sure it is more than their share in the wrong places. The city has plenty of dogs to contribute. The 2021 dog population of the city was 600,000.
There are over 10,000 stray cats and dogs scattered throughout all five boroughs of the city. New Yorkers own over an estimated one million pets. The average price for a dog is listed to be $2,041.00. Pets are often considered the children of owners. Some owners write Merry Christmas cards to their pets.
“Dear Beautiful Belle,
“Merry Christmas! You and I are going to have a special day! You will love the present I have for usl You can open it.”
Love, Momma
Dogs are happiest when they can give and receive love. Dogs are especially important as increasing amounts of people work at home. They and their owners need to fulfill the needs of this privilege.
Part two explores these opportunities, laws, and enforcement, and the alarming past of dogs in New York City,
Enjoy stories on the website: thisweeksstory.com. This is Barbara Steiner with a wonderful staff.
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