dogs should be able to run and get exercise for their physical and emotional well-being. It is essential that the off-leash hours in parks be retained.
because off leash hours are a daily part of life for many thousands of New Yorkers. Dog owners are among the heaviest users of Prospect Park (and many other parks) on a day-to-day basis, year round. Having off leash hours is a huge quality of life issue.
my dog has no place to run and socialize with other dogs. I am a responsible dog owner who pays taxes and should be able to have a part of the park for my use.
It has been a successful program for 20 years. Dog ownership has increased while dog attacks have decreased. Therefore, I see no justification for removing this right.
Offleash-hours at the park provide THE primary opportunity for our pets to be properly socialized, both with one another and with the humans who share their love of the outdoors. To take this opportunity away does nothing to improve the relationship between people and dogs in this city and actually makes the possibility of a violent encounter (between anxious, cooped up dogs and the humans unaccustomed to them) more and not less likely.
Off leash courtesy laws have been in effect in Claremont Park for the 32 years I have been a resident and I see no reason why it should be discontinued. I do not favor the creation of a dog run here as the park is too small and intended for quiet escape for strolling and reading.
I support this petition because most dog owners are responsible and neither they nor their dogs should be punished by changing the current off-leash rules. Dog ownership has many benefits for the community including keep parks safe during these off-hours.
Off leash hours for dogs and their owners are vital to the well being of our pets. Animals need to run free in the grass and interact freely with each other. Not all dogs do well in dog runs with their artificial surfaces. We don't yet know what the outcome of these artificial surfaces will have on the health of our pets, but that's another story.
I support this position. I especially enjoy off-leash time with my dog. Since 1990, when I first go a dog, the off-leash system of 9 pm to 9 am has worked so well. It is not broken, so don't fix it.
this is an essential resource for dog owners throughout the city. Many of the city's parks do not have adequate dog run facilities and do not have the funds to build them. Moreover, the facilities that do exist in places like Riverside and Central Parks are frequently crowded, unclean, and abused by professional dog walkers, making them an undesirable place to bring a dog. Please make the informal "9 to 9" policy a law.
I support this petition because dogs off-leash from 9 pm-9 am keep crime out of the parks, because the dogs deserve it, because the people would be less likely to keep dogs in their homes without off-leash spaces, and because the responsible people who care about other people and animals will be hurt the most if off-leash privileges are taken away.
The Bloomberg administration sees another potential cash cow by handing out citations and ticketing offenders. Will our tax dollars be paying for additional cops to write us up? Will we be paying for their coffee and donuts as well?
because the parks are for everyone. Over the years dog owners and their dogs have helped bring back a level of safety to our parks, and to allow dogs off-leash social time creates a more stable and social dog. We as owners should be allowed to keep the few off-leash hours we currently have.
I support this petition because there is precious little time as it is for dogs to run without being tied by a few feet to a human. They need to explore and socialize with other dogs. Other cities are exploring completely off-leash options in their parks as long as dogs are under "hand-control." NYC can at least keep the off-leash hours it has now. It works beautifully for all families and their dogs.
I am a lifelong New Yorker who votes at every single election, and it is imperative that NYC parks retain off-leash areas and hours for the pets which so many of us consider members of our family.
New York dogs deserve the opportunity to run and socialize in open areas. Responsible dog owners can vouch for the difference this off-leash time makes in their dogs' lives.
because dogs are man's best friends. A world or city without dogs, smiling at us, playing with eachother, sniffing around, would be a sadder place. Offleash hours have been working well for years. Please let our dogs run free (at least for a little while each day).
because the half million (according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the New York Times) dogs and their owners deserve a chance to enjoy being off leash in a city that doesn't offer many backyards or wild areas. Additionally, frequently crowded dog parks are not desirable to many owners.
As a dog owner and tax payer in this wonderful city, I am dumbfounded that anyone would want to curtail dog runs, and off lease hours. Please do not make this city a harder meaner place.
dogs do not respond the same way in enclosed spaces as they do when allowed to run off-leash. They get more exercise and are happier as a result. To lose this privilege would create dogs that are more pent up, frustrated and aggressive. It will end up creating more behavior problems then it prevents.
because allowing dogs to play off-leash during hours when parks are sparsely populated hurts no one, yet brings much happiness and amusement to dogs and their owners. Principally, because there is more room to spread out, thus greater exercise is being had and dogs aren't forced to play on top of each other. There are enough responsible dog owners in the city that make this allowance a worth while use of space.
the notion of eliminating off-leash spaces is ridiculous and serves no one. Dog runs benefit all of society, not just dog owners, because happy dogs make happy dog owners who contribute to the upkeep of these parks and the economy of surrounding areas. As has been noted, well-socialized pooches are the least likely to cause problems, and the people who take the time to frequent these dog runs are clearly among the most responsible, socially aware, safety-conscious and community-involved dog owners in the city. Do not punish us for no reason.
Dogs, owners, and the general public all benefit from these open, off-leash spaces. All New Yorkers have the right to share and enjoy the parks--including dogs and their owners. I don't let my dog off-leash, but I greatly enjoy seeing and interacting with the off-leash dogs (and their owners) in city parks. They greatly contribute to the culture and health of the city. Please support these off-leash areas!
I support it wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. For many, life without dogs is like life without kids. Some don't care either way. But for most of us, dogs, kids, keep us happy, they surprise us, they entertain us, they keep us young. And in return, we need to provide arenas for them to live, and to grow, and to interact with their own kind, or just to frolic. Fullness of life, kind of thing.
because off leash activities and community are in fact critical to keeping dogs social and create an environment of self policing within the dog community, thus keeping dogs and the non dog owning public more safe than without.
dog parks are an essential way to keep dogs healthy in apartment-living situations. They are pack animals and need to run to be mentaly sound and socialized. It would be cruel to sentence them to a life of small spaces and leashes forever. You will have more dog aggression problems throughout the city without the outlet of a dog park.
i support this petition because of all the good feelings it engenders for the dogs and the people who intereact with them during their off leash hours. it is a wonderful part of living in new york city,
banning off-leash hours is punitive and irrational. NYC dog owners are generally civic-minded, and NYC dogs are better socialized than other dogs anywhere in the country. This can be directly credited to off-leash hours and the existence of dog parks. Without these things it would be untenable to have dogs in a city as congested as NY.
Offleash interaction with our dogs is fundamental to the mental health of many thousands of voters. Dogs have been a fundamental part of human clture for milennia. Society needs them.
I support this because I have a toddler as well as a dog and offleash hours in a park is the only place that lets me be with both in a beautiful setting together.
eliminating off leash hours will create more behavioral problems than it will solve. Also,dog owners often represent the most active members of a community. Dog parks and off leash hours are also very powerful community activities that enhance a community rather than detract from it.
because the current off-leash hours are a reasonable accomodation to rights of dog owners and their pets to enjoy city parks without impacting others who use the parks.
Our animals both very much need and deserve a place where they can run, play, exercise and socialize, all things that are vital to happy, healthy pets and their people. Please don't take this away from us.
because dogs are people too and residents of the city and are entitled to recreational spaces. Their running offleash does not infringe on anyone's rights. Revoking this right is simply mean-spirited. Humans must learn to scoot over for other creatures on this planet.
I support this petition because the parks are there for the benefit of the public, a significant number of whom own dogs. The amount of off-leash time and space requested is not significant, but is of fundamental importance and value to the dogs and their owners.
because eliminating off leash hours will create more behavioral problems than it will solve. Also, dog owners often represent the most active members in a community. Dog parks and off leash hours are also very powerful community activities that enhance a community rather than detract from it.
the limited hours and space are of enormous benefit to both dog and dog owners. For the small amount of time and area we occupy and because the majority of pet and pet owners are respectful and well-behaved, we hope the hours will continue.
as a dog owner, I cannot imagine to deprive my dog of the right to have SOME time off-leash.The parks are meant to serve the community and the community include dog owners and their dogs.
I support this petitition because my dog loves her off leash time and also because, by eliminating off leash hours, dogs will become neurotic and much more serious problems will develop. If certain people in this city are uncmfortable with dogs off leash, we, as dog oweners and dog lovers, can respect that and they, in turn, can respect our space and our dogs' space.
In a city like New York, where no one has a backyard, it's imperative to have designated areas where our dogs can run around off-leash. It's important for their sanity and ours.
