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Is your dog peeing on some of New York’s best folk art?
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New York City became the first city to have a “pooper scooper” law, requiring pet owners to pick up waste, on Aug 1, 1978.
PHOTO: GRAHAM DICKIE/NYTIMES
- New Yorkers creatively protect street trees from dogs with homemade fences and signs due to shared responsibility for these spaces.
- A 1978 "pooper scooper" law exists, but dog urine remains an issue, inspiring art and businesses like Curb Allure to combat it.
- Opinions diverge; some see art, others like comedian Santiago Angel, view it as unwelcoming, highlighting tension between dog owners and residents.
AI generated
NEW YORK – To own a dog in New York City is to be privy to a world of street-level folk art.
Around front stoops, fences and tree beds, home owners and street gardeners erect handmade fencing crafted from rustic driftwood or found pieces of mesh or metal. They knit skinny spiderwebs of string or wire meant to keep dogs from diving into the dirt or plant thick forests of perennial plants that form a natural barrier to entry.


