June 9, 2026
Poop-pocalypse in the Bronx
By John Myers
By Dejennay Dehaney
Imagine walking down a sidewalk dotted every few feet with dog poop and having to step around them as if you’re avoiding landmines. New Yorkers don’t have to imagine. Beginning in late 2025, residents across the five boroughs have noted a concerning increase in the amount of dog poop on the city’s sidewalks. According to 311 (the city’s non-emergency hotline) data, complaints about the dog poop problem have risen by over 80% after the snow melted in January and February 2026, exposing the unfortunate abundance of dog waste on the sidewalks. Many on social media have jokingly dubbed this phenomenon the “poop-pocalypse.” The situation, however, is not a joking matter. In neighborhoods like Kingsbridge, in the Bronx, where there are consistently large crowds of commuters traveling to many schools and businesses in the area via four subway lines, the dog poop is more than an eyesore, it’s a quality of life issue.
Cledwin Mendoza, an 11th grader at Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, states that the issue of dog poop is frankly “horrendous.” He adds, “There has been a lot of dog poop on the sidewalk of Jerome Avenue and 195th Street since I’ve been in high school, but I feel like there was a peak after the snowstorm when sanitation had bigger problems to deal with, like the snow.” Annalena Bedford, a 12th grader, noted, “When you walk past the K-8 schools on Kingsbridge and Jerome, there’s way too much dog poop, and it’s not just in the dirt of tree pits or on the side of the road; it’s directly in the middle of the sidewalk.”
Twelfth grader Tyrone Maple and ninth grader Esli Sambula spoke about how the issue is simply unsightly and annoying. According to Maple, “It feels like I’m playing a simulator. Why should I have to evade dog poop to come to school every day?” Riley Dixon, another ninth grader, suggests, “If you can’t pick up your dog’s poop, you shouldn’t own a dog.”
This begs the question: who is at fault, sanitation, law enforcement or the dog owners? According to Bedford, “Dog owners should be responsible for their dogs and pick up the poop, and police or sanitation should be giving tickets to those who don’t.” Some may be surprised to know that a “pooper scooper law,” which results in a fine of $250 for failure to pick up your dog’s waste, has been on the books since 1978 in New York City. However, this law requires law enforcement to see the crime taking place or for someone else to report it, which is ultimately an ineffective solution. Of course not every dog owner is neglectful or deserving of the backlash. For example, Amy Parez, manager of the Vetco Vaccination Clinic’s Gunhill Road location, states that as a dog owner she feels that the situation gives all dog owners a bad reputation because of the assumption that they don’t care for their pets.
Whether it is the fault of sanitation or dog owners, there needs to be a more effective solution to get the streets cleaned. Because whatever the solution is, many New Yorkers agree with ninth grader Gabriel Peters, “I’m tired of stepping in dog poop.”
