A pooper-scooper, or poop scoop, is a device commonly used to pick up an animal's fecal matter. This includes devices which remove feces from public places or from litter boxes. Pooper-scooper devices often have a bag or bag attachment. 'Poop bags' are alternatives to pooper scoopers, and are simply a bag, usually turned inside out, to carry the feces to a proper disposal area. Sometimes, the person performing the cleanup is also known as the pooper-scooper.

Legality

a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall or stairway of a building abutting on a public .

§ 161.05. Dogs to be restrained.
A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog shall not permit it to be in any public place or in any open or unfenced area abutting on a public place unless the dog is effectively restrained by a leash or chain not more than six feet long.

Authorized employees of New York City Departments of Health (including Animal Care & Control), of Sanitation, or of Parks and Recreation can issue tickets.

Health Concerns

Dog droppings are one of the leading sources of E. coli (fecal coliforms) bacteria pollution: Each gram of dog feces contains over 20,000,000 E. Coli colonies. While an individual animal's deposit of feces will not measurably affect the environment, the compounded effect of thousands of dogs and cats in a metropolitan area could create problems due to microbe contamination of soil and water supplies. The runoff from neglected pet waste contaminates water, creating a public health hazard for residents, and stream inhabitants like fish.

The situation is particularly dire in Germany, where an estimated 1400 tonnes of feces are deposited daily on public property. A citizen commission (2005) overwhelmingly recommended a plan that would break even at about seven months. DNA samples would be required when pet licenses come up for renewal. Within a year, a database of some 12,500 registration-required canine residents would be available to sanitation workers with sample-test kits. Evidence would be submitted to a forensics laboratory where technicians could readily match the waste to its dog. The prospect of a prompt fine equivalent to $600 US (at 2005 exchange rate) would help assure preventive compliance, as well as cover costs.

References

Bibliography

• Blackman, Diane "Dog Parks, Dog Runs and Off Leash Play". Dog Play. Retrieved on 2006-07-21..
• "Parks Business Plan". King County Parks and Recreation Division. Department of Natural Resources and Parks. Retrieved on 2006-07-21..
• Kargl, Reinhard "A Pooper Scooper Law with Bite. The Germans consider DNA testing to match poop to pooch". Science. Popular Science, Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
• "The Scoop on Poop". ROMP. (2000). Retrieved on 2006-06-06..
  ROMP (Responsible Owners of Mannerly Pets), metropolitan Twin Cities recreation-advocacy group; June 1996 in Roseville, MN, nonprofit incorporation April 2000 [ About ROMP]
• "Scoop the Poop Campaign". BurlingtonEcoInfo > Water > issues > Scoop the Poop. University of Vermont. Retrieved on 2006-06-06..
• "Wildlife". NYC Health Code. Animal Care & Control of New York City. Retrieved on 2006-06-06..
• Zand, Joel R., Esq. "New York City's Dog Poop Scoop Law". Legal issues and laws affecting dogs, companion animals, and their people. Joel R. Zand. Retrieved on 2006-06-06..
  New York attorney and dog lawyer;