Winning poster
April 17, 2013 By Bill Parry
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and local leaders honored a 7-year-old PS150 student yesterday for producing the school’s most effective poster that tells dog owners to clean up after their pooch.
In front of hundreds of her cheering PS 150 classmates, Sophia Aguirre was declared the winner of the “Curb Your Dog” poster contest, which about one-quarter of the school’s 1,250 students participated in.
The students were told to create a poster that warned dog owners that they would face a $250 fine if they didn’t pick up their dog’s poop.
Several weeks ago, the five best posters were selected by the school and put up for a vote. About 600 people voted online, with most viewing Aguirre’s as the best.
Aguirre’s winning poster has been mass produced and Van Bramer’s staff will post it in stores, restaurants and public places throughout the council district, including Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth, Long Island City and a portion of Astoria.
Sophia Aguirre (Photo: QueensPost)
Van Bramer also handed out certificates to the runners up: Mathew Sebastian, Angelina Yegoryan, Isabel Lourdes and Alex Cazan.
The aim of the exercise was to bring to the public’s attention—through children– the need for dog owners to clean up after their dogs.
“It’s an issue in every neighborhood in the district,” Van Bramer said, adding that “there are a few irresponsible owners that are a problem for us all.”
PS 150 Principal Carmen Parache said the children enjoyed the school project.“It turned into a great civics lesson,” Parache said, adding that “It proved to them that they’re a part of the community and that elected leaders listen to them.”
Van Bramer said “the more we can engage young people, the better for the neighborhood’s future.”
Aguirre’s proud mother Carmen Guttierrez thought the poster contest was a great idea. “They all learned that they can change things by getting involved.”
But Sophia Aguirre had her eye more focused on the prize. “I just like winning,” Sophia said, who went on to explain that she’s not interested in a future in art or politics. “I’m more interested in being a dog clothes’ designer.”
Photo: QueensPost
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42 Comments
That isn’t even her original idea..google “Dog picking up poop” that picture has circulated around the web for years before this contest was an idea in someone’s head.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/26/17935553-philadelphia-man-sent-to-prison-for-dog-doo-doo-shooting
Sadly, slobbery is not confined to a small minority of dog owners. At Celtic Park, there are two lovely garden courtyards that the shareholders spend thousands of dollars on to have professionally maintained every year. Yet, smokers continue to use the flower beds as their own personal ash trays. Even by the laundry, where a receptacle for cigarettes has been provided, they insist on tossing their butts into the garden. The worst offenders are the security guards, The ground between their booth and the building is littered with dozens of cigarette butts and assorted garbage.
Disgusting, selfish slobs are everywhere, not just the ones holding a dog leash.
True story. A Sunnysider saw a dog owner walking away from a pile of poop and asked if she was going to pick it up. The dog walker ignored her and continued walking. The irate Sunnysider picked up the pile in a plastic bag, followed the dog walker and tossed it at her. The dog walker called the police and wanted to press assault charges. When the cop heard both sides of the story, he told the dog walker she should clean up after her dog, got back in his car and left. While I don’t know that I could do that, I have called out dog walkers who didn’t clean up after their pets (and also a man who tossed his baby’s dirty diaper into my hedges). SUDS members have done a great job of advocating for their dogs and educating dog owners on their responsibilities. More needs to be done to get all dog owners to clean up after their pets–a Wall of Shame could be effective. Having the many dog owners and their dogs out at all hours of the day and night helps keep our community safe. Now we have to get it cleaner for the benefit of all.
This site will never post a picture of someone sent in by someone else, claiming his dog shat all over the sidewalk. You don’t need this site, it is very easy to just create a flickr or picasa account and start uploading those there, and then you can link to it here.
There is no point in one risking their lives over some dog shit, trying to confront a loser who won’t wipe his ass in the first place. I would suggest following them to where they live and just take your dog and have him shit on their sidewalk or entrance.
Sunnyside is becoming a public dog shitter, there is crap everywhere.
@ Tempus Fugit – Touche! And I agree with you 100% about public shaming! I am a dog owner and I am in agreement about the public shaming. And if you can get a picture of the person, go for it! My husband offerred some couple a doggy bag about 2 months ago when their dog took a dump and proceeded to walk away. The guy just made a wise crack and they continued on their way, without picking it up. My husband picked it up so we can keep OUR neighborhood clean.
@ Oppressed Masses – shows how obtuse you are…if you have ever been accused of something that you know you never did, you would remember every significant event that encompassed that situation. David (ironically) – small world, met a girl in Woodside and got married and David was a guest at my Sister’s wedding, as a friend of the groom. I thought it was quite a small world to see him after a couple of years at my Sister’s wedding!
Oh, and a lot of parents use leashes for their out of control kids. Go google childrens leashes or ‘safety harness’. I just happen to find it adorable and I get quite the kick out of it…
@ Sunnyside Native
Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster may be legends but not very urban.
Native, that’s a wonderful story and impressive that you remember every detail from 1999! Whatever happened to David? And your idea about putting kids on leashes, it sounds like what a dog owner would say! Maybe you can draw a poster and send it to Councilmember Van Bramer for distribution in the neighborhood. Rick, I thought you would be honored that the dog in the poster was named for you and I only sought to correct what I thought was an oversight by the Sunnyside Post. I immediately thought the name was perfect for the depiction of the dog: powerful animal, erect on its muscular hind legs, broom and dust bin in hand, doing good for the neighborhood. By the way, where in Sunnyside have you see children eating discarded chicken bones from off the ground? In all my years here, I have never seen anything like that except one time a few years ago in Sunnyside Gardens Park.
Sunnysideposthatesme9 has hit the nail right on the head! I saw a guy walking his dog one morning. Dog was about to do its business, so I stopped and hung about close by on the sidewalk letting on to be fidgeting with my phone. When dog finished, I stood there and looked at him. I said, you going to pick it up or what? He said he did not have a bag! I managed to find a plastic bag that was in my backpack and gave it to him!
I said you may want to bring a bag with you buddy and have a bit of respect and courtesy for the rest of us! I see him around now and I give him a salute! No point bawling someone out cos then they will most likely go out of their way to spite you!
That’s all you have to do, call a person out and be like..come on..really! People typically do the same route so you will catch them! It all took less than a minute.
Next time you see a dog owner leave a pile of doggie dung on the street, take a picture of that person. Perhaps this site will post it. Public shaming of inconsiderate slobs is the only solution to this problem as far as I can see.
Rick – many years ago, I was unfairly accused by some ticket agent who insisted that I didn’t pick up my dog. My dog and I were walking along the park, by Skillman Avenue & 42nd Street. My dog didn’t even poop, she peed and the feces that the agent demanded was from my dog, was hard as a rock and days old from another dog. She asked for ID, which I presented to her and she issued me a ticket. I had become friendly with the parks department worker that worked at Lou Lodati Park at the time, his name was David. He was a nice guy and we would make small talk. When I told him that I was issued a ticket for this bogus lie that the officer claimed, he couldn’t believe it because he said he has seen me clean up after my dog countless times and I always carry a bunch of dog poop bags on me. Of course I disputed the ticket and decided to go to court to fight the ticket. David, the Parks Dept. worker, came with me on the day of my court battle as a witness of some sort. During David’s testimony, he stated and was insistent that I was a responsible dog owner who always picked up after my dog, as David saw me pick up after my dog many times. The judge dismissed the ticket and I won the court case! Maybe I can find the paperwork pertaining to that ticket for you. I am going to say this happened around 1999. Keep in mind that these ticket agents have a city quota, just like traffic ticket agents do. I must say the taste of victory was sweet!
As far as the ridiculous and ludicrous statement referring to this as an urban legend, let’s leave the urban legends to Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster…
Doglover…go to the Community Board Meeting (befriend Oppressed Masses and bring him with you) and try to become more involved with YOUR / MY community and try to find ways that you can better your community. Stop whining. All talk and no action gets us nowhere. By the way, when the kid up the block throws his gum on the sidewalk and then I accidentally step on it and track it in my house, it is just as bad as dog feces. Try cleaning gum off of your beautiful wood floors and worse, try to get gum out of your carpet. It is now quite apparent that some parents need to start keeping their kids on a leash…
why don’t you dog pooping haters stop being pussies and confront the people who don’t pick it up? Make it as uncomfortable as you can for them so they think twice.
buncha passive aggressive hipsters!
O’shea: I forwarded 6 photos last year, 2011-2012 school year, to the Bd of Ed. There’s no reason for me to keep that on my computer. Delete.
They, obviously have done nothing. Ask teachers @ PS 150, they’ll tell you the same thing about her sidewalk driving.
RD
Doglover: In order for a dog owner to receive a summons for not picking up they have to be caught in the act by a Dept of Sanitation or Dept of Health & Mental Hygiene officer. Good luck finding one! Never heard of anyone in Sunnyside being ticketed for it. If you think our neighborhood is bad, you should take a walk thru parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and other areas of Queens. Yonkers & Mt Vernon (areas I grew up in and now work) are also much worse. I have heard of a couple of people ticketed for off leash dogs on sidewalks in Sunnyside. They are idiots for allowing their dog to run free on a sidewalk. All it takes is 1 squirrel or a dog across the street and…bam….roadkill. Dogs don’t belong in the playground, of course. If you want change do something, ask for more enforcement officers from the above two agencies to be deployed, etc. Increase fines for not picking up, I’m on your side. Less talk, more action gets things done.
You are wrong about other kinds of litter. People discard food and other toxic trash on the ground all the time, leading to vermin and really nasty diseases. I’ve seen kids along the park pick up chicken bones, bottle caps, pieces of glass, etc and put them in their mouths. Kids pick up stuff, as do dogs, all it takes is *1* second of a parent/owner not paying attention….
Tempus Fugit: as for civility, it goes out the window for OM. When he acts like a jerk he is going to get treated that way. I wouldn’t waste my time/energy on him in a physical sense. He’s not worth the minimal effort. Notice where this started, his stupid comments above about the name of the dog. Why would he feel the need to say what he did? Completely unnecessary. I guess he is just, in some weird way, desperate for my attention, or obsessed with me?! Don’t worry, he can continue to live in his hole, anonymously. As for an apology, hahaha!!! Yea, right….
i may be in the minority here but i kind like seeing dog crap all over the sidewalks, guess its just me.
Dog waste is not the same as other litter. If you step on a piece of paper or a soda bottle it doesn’t get all into your shoes and come home with you and cause disease and stink up your house. Once again, I ask, if anybody has ever heard of any dog owner receiving a summons for not picking up, running your dog off the leash or entering a playground? Urban legend. Once again our City Councilman misses the mark and gets another photo op. Is he going to give all our “allocations” or “discretionary funds” to dogs? What about human needs?
@O’shea
If one can testify in court to what one has witnessed with one’s own eyes and not provide photos, what right do you have to demand them and tell others to be silent if they don’t?
RD
Where are these alleged photographs of principal Parche parking and driving on the sidewalks?
Post it now or hold your peace.
OM, grow a pair and stop being a passive aggressive hipster, What’s next, leaving a stern note in front of his building?
I will be glad to ref a square one, straight up street rules like the good ol days,
winner has to clean up dog poop for a month!
OM,
The new rules of civility for this site a few weeks ago don’t apply to certain posters such as RD. Or so it seems.
Oh gees, Rick, now you have done it. If I get beat up and face planted on the sidewalk as your post not too subtly suggests, you will be the number one suspect. I’d hate to have you live with that circumstance hanging over your head. If you apologize now for the physical threat you have made against me, I’ll be able to tell the police that it couldn’t have been Rick who did me harm, he apologized. Besides, acting like a mad dog really doesn’t fit your image as a nice guy who likes to look skyward and envision deceased dogs. No hard feelings on my part Rick!
Nice job, Sophia! Sophia’s drawing was one of my two favorite drawings! Now after reading the comments above, we need to create ‘Curb Your Kid’ posters. Last summer 2012, a Mother (with her husband and two other kids), changed the baby’s diaper which was filled with poop right on the 7 train during RUSH hour. She literally laid him out right on the seat of the train. I sat diagonal from them and couldn’t believe my eyes….and nose for that matter…
The term “curb your dog” is many years out of date.
Since the pooper scooper law enacted during the Koch administration, it’s not enough that your dog poop in the gutter, you have to pick it up too.
Y’all need to work on the whole “Get a life” thing!!
She* Sorry
I one time saw a person take a massive doody on Skillman Avenue. He did not pick it up. Many were outraged.
I live on a street that seems to be cited constantly by the anti-dog crowd as being full of dog poop. And yet I rarely see any as I walk along said street. I see far more trash deposited by humans than by dogs.
For her next great civics lesson, maybe PS 150 Principal Carmen Parache can have the kids create signs about principals driving their cars on city sidewalks to beat the light @ 40th street?
RD
Dog crap on sidewalks, just like other trash left by the non dog owning public, is disgusting. It’s caused by lazy, uneducated and selfish people. Morons who litter the sidewalks are always going to be an issue and, sadly, enforcement is basically non existent.
I walked by a restaurant the other day on 43rd Ave that put up a little wooden fence around a tree, I imagine to keep dogs out, that’s fine, great idea, I’m all for it. But, the geniuses are now using it as a cigarette dumping ground…again, uneducated, lazy and selfish.
Congrats to Sophia for doing more to help our neighborhood in the time it took to create that sign than the whiners and wannabes on this blog. You see, she had an idea and DID something. Ask yourself what have you done lately. For some the answer is ‘not much’. You know who you are.
OM, if you like to meet up I can give you a much closer view of the sidewalk, just say the word. This way you can more closely investigate Sunnyside’s poop situation. Though you will need a lot of help getting back up.
Cheers,
Rick
that is not a very good poster, The one from Isabel (4th grade) was much better.
500 of those votes must have come from family
on this note — I saw the most disturbing thing ever last sunday night on 47th ave near corner of 46th st: adult holding a ~3 y/o’s hand while the kid pooped on the sidewalk next to someone’s car (yes, I’m sure kid was pooping). they then walked across 47th st into the grocery store! I am regretting not calling police / dfs, but I was just in shock!
What of the humans who throw garbage and let there f’n brats do the same! fine them as well.
I am all for dna printing for all dogs in sunnyside. Sounds crazy, but it works. I look forward to seeing more poop in sunnyside until something practical is done.
Has anyone seen or even heard of a summons actually being issued in our neighborhood or any neighborhood? That $250 fine is an urban legend. Windmueller Park playground is full of dogs every day.
Good job by Sophia with the prize winning poster that is sure to deliver the message and thanks to Councilmember Van Bramer for organizing the contest. Now let’s just hope the pigs who let their dogs foul our sidewalks change thir behaviors. By the way, the Post story above fails to mention that the name of the dog standing in the poster is Rick.
Somebody left a baby diaper filled with shit on the bench by the park on Sunday morning. So it seems like it’s not just dog poop that has encroached on our way of life here in Sunnyside! Way to go to the parents who left that behind!
I am a responsible diog owner who cleans up after his dog my question to you parents who cleans after your disgusting kids when they throw all there garbage on the streets and I have seen parents simply walk away while there spawn dirties up the sidewalks of sunnyside. so please spare the self-righteous indignation. it works both ways!!!!
What’s hilarious to me is that 90% of the dog crap I see (without even trying, it just stares right at you) is on the supposedly more illustrious North Side of Sunnyside. The entire stretch of 43rd Ave and Skillman Ave being the worst areas.
When my family visited several weeks ago they experienced the same thing that Moneyside’s familiy saw. It’s embarassing for the neighboorhood.
Saw this on NY1. Pretty awesome. This poster needs to be posted EVERYWHERE. Dog shiat in this neighborhood is disgusting, as is the litter.
And why is it never the tiny dog poops. It’s always like, huge dog poops. Human-sized practically. You have to wonder if the people who don’t clean up their dog’s poop even ever notice what a disaster it makes the community look.
While my family members were visiting this weekend and we were walking to a local delicious restaurant, all they saw was dog shit. They asked if it was normal!? Good going Sunnyside.
It’s about time something is done about the dog poop. I have watched dog owners pull their dogs away while they are pooping so that they don’t have to clean it up. Also the owners who carry plastic bags but don’t use it to clean up after their dogs.