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
This guy needs therapy. I’m against dog owners who have no control of their dogs allowing them off leash, but if your dog is good, like most dogs, then folks shouldn’t have a problem. It’s a park folks..that’s where animals s/b.
Rob, real talk: kicking any dog will get you stomped in the hood. Just stating a fact. I let me dog off leash all the time and seriously i wish a mofo would! Try it.
Add’l most dogs aren’t stupid enough to eat rancid meats and will just puke it up, like they do most things that aren’t good for them. Why waste your time and money?
Andrea
Dogs are wonderful, loyal, playful, smart, and helpful animals, who can bring much joy into our lives. But they are still animals, not little people or brothers in fur. They can be frightened, intimidated, angered or just pissed off by stimuli, smells and noises that we may not even be aware of. Leash laws are laws for a reason, and were put into place to protect people and pets from each other.
The parks also belong to non pet owners, who should be able to bird watch, or stroll or jog without fear of someone’s dog. This guy goes way too far, and the pepper spray is certainly not appropriate behavior, but I can understand his frustrations, too. Dog owners need to keep their pets leashed at the proper times and places, as per the law. This guy needs to be disarmed before someone takes it into their head to do worse to him than any dog could do.
Here is the thing – the guy is right, unless in a designated spot and a designated time – you shouldnt have your dog off-leash.
That being said, you’re also not supposed to drive around blasting your music at 1000db or with a motorcycle ‘pipe’; and your not supposed to litter, there are restrictions on Barbecues, you are not allowed to jay walk,i.e there are tons of things that people regurally do that violates the law (like possession of pepper spray) ….and if you are out there as a “vigilante” on these kinda issues you are clearly a nut and you should be scrutinized carefully, because it is the “vigilante” that is actually more dangerous than the administrative code violation.
I was walking in Fort Greene park last week with my wife during off-leash hours. She had our infant son in a pouch and our dog on the leash. I was pushing a stroller with my daughter. We just bought some bagels and we were each (except for my son and dog) carrying a piece of bagel. Out A large dog (100 lbs or so) came running over, jumped in the air, and chomped the bagel out of my wife’s hand, which was bleeding slightly as a result. Before I realized what happened, the dog bit my hand as well, and was circling, as we had a bag with two more bagels under the stroller. Along the came the dog’s owner, appologizing, but walking very casually and not bothering to put her coffee down to try to control her dog. When I told her grab the dog, her response was …. “you really shouldnt be eating in the park because there are dogs around.” This was about 30 yards, mind you, from the farmers market. I told her she was nuts, and that if she couldnt control her dog, it should be leashed. She told me that its a dog, which she explained was an animal, and she had no responsibility because she couldnt control it. I think this is ridiculas. I have no problem with off the leash hours, but if you cant stop your dog from biting people, your dog should be leashed. Can anyone really disagree with this?
One of the responsibilities of owning a dog in the city is to be alert to folks who, for whatever reason, are terrified of, or hate, dogs.
Many, many people have a hatred of dogs. it’s just a thing. avoid them. this guy is a dog-hater gone nuts. so avoid him. I wold never let my dog off leash in the park at any time because he is mischievious and I do not know where he may end up. If you have a very obedient dog then don’t let him run too far or near strangers. It is just courtesy.
I go to the big dogrun in Brooklyn Heights sometimes, it is very nice.
The real problems are the zealots, in general.
the real zealots are the dog owners who feel more entitled than any park slope stroller momma.
“who’s to say my dog can’t say he “owns” me?”
Point taken Rob. It’s all relative–I’m sure my cat thinks he owns me.
yeah duh of course i wouldnt pepper spray a dog or a kid. jeez. but it does yank my chain this issue. LEASH DOGS!!!!
putnam, your analysis of me is pretty funny though. :-/ i might be a bit of an eccentric ‘tard but im not dangerous or harmful to anyone.
*rob*