Prospect Park Vigilante Wages Canine Campaign
Off-leash dogs have driven one frequenter of Prospect Park cuckoo. According to a NY Post story yesterday, Orrin Tilevitz, merchant banker and ardent birder, has been waging a war against dog owners who let their dogs run free, blowing the whistle on them to the cops and posting videos of their off-leash carousing on his…
Off-leash dogs have driven one frequenter of Prospect Park cuckoo. According to a NY Post story yesterday, Orrin Tilevitz, merchant banker and ardent birder, has been waging a war against dog owners who let their dogs run free, blowing the whistle on them to the cops and posting videos of their off-leash carousing on his anti-dog blog. While plenty of people wish dog owners would keep better control of their dogs, a traumatic attack seems to have turned Tilevitz into something of an anti-dog zealot. According to one source in The Post story, Tilevitz routinely carries pepper spray around with him and recently used in on two dogs. The major problem seems to be, according to a blog post by Tilevitz on Committee for Responsible Dog Ownership, “The presence of unleashed dogs interferes with–prevents–our ability–and right–to watch birds.” One of Tilevitz’s trademark “gotcha” videos in embedded in the post.
Vigilante Unleashes Dogs of War [NY Post]
Photo by rlj
CG ups- The dog beach can be easily reached by entering the park on the 9th Street entrance and following the path straight into the park to the lake. There are some signs leading the way. A portion of the lake is fenced off for the dogs. It’s very refreshing for dogs in the summer if they like swimming as much as my dog does.
It’s a shame when I agree with a crackpot.
As a dog owner Prospect park go-er and I agree with *some* of the things he says; i.e. Dogs on the trails, after hours off leash etc… Pepper spray? He’s out of his tree.
The rangers should ticket people that are violating the law. Dog people are low hanging fruit; I would like to see a ranger bust up a soccer game on a Sunday afternoon.
Cough:
No person shall throw, catch, kick or strike any baseball, football, basketball, soccer, golf or tennis ball, or similar object, nor shall any person engage in any sport, game or other competition except in areas designated and maintained therefor.
There’s a patch of grass on the north part of the long meadow that has been perpetually reseeded for the past decade. As soon as the fences are down it takes only a couple of weekends before it’s a dirt/mud patch.
I’m terrified of dogs. All dogs. I can’t enjoy the park w/o worrying about one charging at me (as it has happened a few times) If I had pepper spray, I would not hesitate using it. I will be looking into dog repellant.
I think its great someone is fighting back against loose dogs in the park. Not everyone likes dogs.
“Adding to the tension are two full-time “Serpicos” who since March have been patrolling Prospect Park as part of a citywide undercover sweep aimed at pooper- scooper scofflaws.”
They need SERPICO to do surveillance on dogs?
The guy is pretty obsessed, but he’s right in one respect – the law is the law and the dogs should be leashed during the required hours. It’s also the owner’s right to have a dog off leash in Prospect Park during the designated hours. Not surprisingly, MOST people obey the law and get along OK. As Bob Marvin observed, extremists on both sides are more of a problem.
Some of my closest friends are through off leash meetings in the park. I went every morning when I lived in the neighborhood. At 9:01 am, the officers would be out there ticketing the dog people. We wondered why they never did go after the litterers, illegal bbqers, etc. Our theory? They were scared. Large groups of rowdy people partying or dog walkers? Hmmm…
A dog in fort greene park bit a bagel out of my wife’s hand last week during off leash hours and caused her to bleed. The owner made no effort to control the dog and told us it was our fault because we shouldnt be eating in the park. She said it was not her responsibility because a dog is an animal that cant be controlled when tempted with food. This was 30 yards from the farmers market. She’s nuts, right?
i don’t have dogs now but I did for years. The irony about the tons and tons of no dog rules is that they appear in places, and at times, where the biggest (or only user) of that area would be someone with a dog. there are so many unused ball fields, strange tiny parks, and even playgrounds. i used to take my dogs to places like these in the mornings cause they’d be empty. sometimes you can find places that are never used. Well, especially not in the winter.
jwald – Where’s the dog beach?!?
My time spent during the off-leash hours on Prospect Park’s Long Meadow have been among the best hours I’ve spent in the park; over the course of many visits, I’ve never witnessed any bad behavior (except for one overexuberant Boston terrier who tried to mooch my croissant), and have in fact marvelled at how the dog-owning community has created a convivial, safe, and overwhelmingly responsible “be-in” every morning before 9. I see some, but not many, off-leash dogs during forbidden hours, but as Tilevit’z site tacitly admits, the “damage” tends more towards bird-startling than vicious attacks. I don’t deny that the cranky Tilevitz has documented some irresponsible behavior, but the commenter above nailed it: The cops would get more quality-of-life bang for the buck if they focused on those who leave mountains of trash lying around after every weekend. And, animal-wise, the misuse/abuse of pit bulls and Rottweilers in many neighborhoods, and their high rates of abandonment at city shelters, would be a better focus for the city’s energies.