If we start worrying about a bunch of dogs enjoying some freedom for a few hours a day, we know we have too much time on our hands! Let the dogs have fun and worry about something worse that's going on in the world! Think about it.
During a visit to my friends house accompanied by my two girls (Mitzi and Mollie), I was introduced to this off leash park in Staten Island. I was very impressed with the idea of the dogs running and playing free with each other. The dog owners policed the activity, i.e. the owners did not tolerate aggressive behavior in any dog and let the owner of an agressive dog know for safety sake they should not bring their dog to the park. We went to the park everyday. It was great.
It would be a shame for NYC dogs to loose the privilege to be off leash on off hours. For most city dogs this is the only time & place they can play safely off leash.
We love taking our puppy to Prospect Park to run and play. Not everyone has a backyard for their dogs and we feel so fortunate to have access to off-leash hours. It is a social community for both dogs and their owners and it would be an absolute shame to lose this over what seems to be a small number of people who dislike the idea of off-leash. We simply ask for a few hours to accomodate the large number of dog owners who want to spend quality time with their pups and enable them to socialize.
Off leash hours provide a healthy environment for dogs to socialize and, well, be dogs. An exercised dog is a happy dog. A happy dog is a dog that doesn't cause problems.
bill ardito
New York's about community and diversity. I meet more people for more walks of life with our dogs than I ever would otherwise. Our parks accomodate everybody from bicycle racers, organized ball games, pick-up ball games, picnickers, runners, skaters, kite-flyers. Discreet off-leash hours are a great pleasure to thousands and thousands of people and their dogs. If you don't like the dogs, don't go to off-leash areas of the park during those few hours. I also would most likely leave the City if off-leash hours were abolished.
I think it would a shame to lose the use of the park for the dogs to to play. We dog people do not abuse the privilege. It also makes for a safer park.
Should off-leash hours be abolished, I will most likely move my business and home out of NYC. Prospect Park and the off-leash hours are a major reason why we stay in NYC.
I whole-heartedly support off-leash time for dogs in New York City. This 20-year old privilege bolsters community among the city's human inhabitants as well as giving our beloved companions time just to be dogs in an otherwise overwhelmingly loud and busy world.
As per Jonathan Safran Foer's op-ed in the NYT today, humans in NYC benefit from their co-existence with animals and nature. NYC government and administrative bodies needs to provide and preserve refuges from urban life -- the off-leash hours accomplish this.
It is frightening that a small group of residents from Queens can threaten the happiness of the tens of thousands of us who want the freedom to spend one hour each morning running in the clean air with our dogs.
Dogs that are regularly exercised and socialized are healther, better- behaved canine citizens. Off leash hours mean that parks are for ALL community residents, dog-owners included. In my experience, park-users readily adapt when they know that they all share responsibility for use and care of the park -- dog-owners gladly do their share to keep the park safe and clean for all users.
The off-leash laws are humane and effectively balance all competing interests.
The proposed amendments are an example of hyper-regulation that skews the benefits of excessive regulation toward the interests of a few while denying essential rights to the majority. Since the risks of adverse effects from the current law are extremely low, the need for hyper-regulation is not evident.
To put it in plain English, this is a hijacking of a positive social good by a small minority whose interests really won't be served by the new codes.
I support this position. Animal Behavior experts agree that dogs who are free to leave a situation in which they may feel anxiety are much less likely to bite.
I am in support of an off leash law, at least when there are no others around, either human or canine. It's only right that dogs should have the freedom to exercise when accompanied by responsible owners.
It has been to my dog and myself a time when we can play frisbee and swim in properly zoned areas. Please do not take this away.
thanks,
Chantay Taylor
Dogs and the people who love them deserve to have use of the parks for the limited times that is allowed them. We are aslo citizens of the city and must have our needs respected.
My beloved dog Indy passed away on June 11, 2006. For the last year of her life she suffered from severe arithtis and heart problems. The park gave her the greatest joy possible. We would spend hours at dog beach. The day of her passing, Indy spent her last moments before crossing the bridge at Prospect Park. She knew she was leaving this world, but yet insisted on visting her favorite place; dog beach without restrictive and prohibitive leash laws. That last day allowed her to leave peacefully and joyfully. I support this petition!
