If you’re caught not picking up after your dog in front of Sheila Sanchez, expect to hear from her.

“I yell at them. I’ll do things, like, ‘Hey you! Do you need a bag?’” Sanchez said in a phone interview with the Norwood News.

Sanchez, president of Friends of Williamsbridge Oval volunteer group and a rumored candidate for the 80th Assembly District, has noticed an uptick in residents not picking up after their canines.

The list of sightings where Sanchez has noticed an increase include Villa Avenue near St. Philip Neri Church, Williamsbridge Oval Park, and Decatur Avenue between East Gun Hill Road and East 209th Street. The issue became a central topic at Community Board 7’s Long Term Planning Committee on Jan. 31. Loretta Watson, committee chair, was outraged over dog owners’ lax approach toward maintenance.

It’s illegal for a dog owner not to clean up after their pooches who do their business on public streets. Fines go for $250 if an owner fails to clean up after their dog. Exceptions are made for people requiring a seeing eye dog to get by. Police haven’t placed a high priority on the infraction, which has to be observed by an officer.

“I know a couple of people who got a ticket, and they’ve stopped,” Sanchez said.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.