Sunnyside United Dog Society (SUDS)
A group devoted to the well being of dogs in the Sunnyside area.
The group is based on the northern side of Queens Blvd and is advocating for a dog run at Torsney Park (Skillman Ave. btwn 41st and 43rd Sts). Many of its members– with their dogs– can be found at that park between 8:30 pm and 9:30pm each night.
According to the group:
“One of the great things about organizations like ours is that we look after one another. We watch one another’s dogs when we go on vacation and don’t want to leave them cooped up in a kennel. We also help each other when we are sick, need someone to listen to us in good times and bad. We ARE a family….that just happens to have a huge pack-o-dogs in tow!”
The group’s website is : http://www.sudsmutts.com/
For more information: http://www.sudsmutts.com
Can this group focus on helping clean this neighborhood up of its rampant dog feces problem? I’ve never seen so much doog poop in my life. What is it about Sunnyside dog owners that lets them think they don’t have to clean up after their dogs?????
I have to agree. As an homeowner of a property in the Gardens, I resent the fact that the dog owners who live in the apartment buildings between Skillman and 43rd Ave use the Gardens as toilets for their dogs!
The Gardens are NOT a dog toilet!
Dog Owners! Please police your fellow pet-lovers and ask them to pick up the poop!
As a dog owner in the community I too am disgusted by lack of consideration these owners have. Bear in mind that we have many dog-owners in the neighborhood and most of these people are cleaning up after their pets. It only takes one owner, with a dog doing it’s business twice-a-day, every-day, to really defile one block or area. And so I urge anyone who sees someone ignore their responsibility – Say something to that person in the moment. Let them know that it is not acceptable.
As a dog owner I normally have extra bags with me and so I have offered people bags when it seemed they were going to walk away. Sometimes they reluctantly accept and sometimes I get cursed at; but this strategy sends a clear message that they must literally take their responsibility in their hand. I recommend this to everyone.
What most fail to realize is that people who don’t pick up after their dog(s) are overwhelmingly in the minority. Just 1 person with a dog that is not picked up after can account for 2-3 craps a day, usually going in the same 3-4 spots (by habit), a week later and just 1 dog has left 14-21 bombs on the sidewalk. Now, if one of those folks has 2 dogs…People also are under the false impression that there is MORE poo left on the ground when it snows, also not true. It’s just that much of it doesn’t catch the eye in the dirt, but definitely does against the white snow.
As for what our group, SUDS, should and shouldn’t. What have you done? We’ve had several “pIck up the poop’ days throughout the neighborhood. We carry extra bags, offer them to people that seem to ‘have forgotten’ their bag (the classic excuse, the other is that the dog went already and they only had 1 bag). We have educated the people that join our group and the problem has gotten much better. I walk my dog A LOT and RARELY see anyone not pick up, which leads me to believe that probably half of those that don’t pick up do so when no one is around and begrudgingly do so if people are about.
We took charge with cleaning up Torsney/Park in 2003 and it is a much safer/cleaner park because of us. That place was a war zone of soccer/volleyball players urinating, defecating, drinking, gambling, garbage strewn everywhere, illegal vending until we got involved. Is it perfect now, no, but, it is much cleaner and safer
Maybe next time you can pitch in?
Working with groups such as NYCDOG (NY Council of Dog Ownership Groups), the umbrella org for all dog parks/off leash areas, I have seen/heard of much worse areas in the city. It’s wrong to ever leave it on the ground and we let people know about it when we see it, trust me on that. It can lead to uncomfortable situations, but you have to stand up for what is right. Same goes for the parents of the kids @ PS 150 who let their kids through garbage in front of my bldg. I’m never shy about letting them know that they too should do the right thing, or the moron food delivery guys who race along the sidewalk on silent motorized scooters and bikes.
If you see something, say something, otherwise people will never change. It’s sad that we have to ASK/TELL people to do what’s right, but it’s just the way it is.
Speak up to get change.
rD
This is not merely a problem in the gardens but on all Sunnyside Streets. Aside from the obvious dog owners who do not pick up after their dogs we have the problem of dog owners who allow their pets to defecate on the sidewalks. Even after they pick up there is residual feces that gets tracked into our homes on carrage and shopping carts as well as shoes. Whether you pick up or not, you should stay well out of the common pedestrian path with your pet droppings.
Martin, I appreciate what you are doing. I also ask people if they need a bag when it looks like they are not going to pick up after their dog.