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The group South Slope Dog — started by Pamela Brown “after being inspired to do something to improve our community at the inauguration of President Obama” — scored a major victory last week when Community Board 7 approved its petition to turn a portion of the “pocket park” abutting Prospect Expressway into a dog run. As long as they get the okay from the Parks Department, as early as this week, the roughly 3,000-square-foot path of fenced-in grass bounded by the Prospect Expressway, 18th Street and Sixth Avenue will be officially set aside for unleashed canines.

You may recall that one of our regulars, Denton, started petitioning for the dog run last summer. How’d it all happen so fast? “Many times dog runs are shot down because local residents do not want the noise and/or other issues, some of which are real and some imagined. In this case, there is only one four story residential building facing the dog run. One one side is the Prospect Expressway, which is noisy in and of itself and helps to mask noise, and across the street is a school. Therefore there were no apartment buildings in opposition,” said Denton. Plus the area was already being used as a dog run informally, although the owners were subjected to sporadic ticket blitzes. The group has applied for 501c3 status to start fundraising, but they’re fortunate because the area is already enclosed by a fence, and the Parks Department generally delivers wood chips for free.
South Slope Dog Run petition [Brownstoner]
Dog soldiers! South Slopers want a place to run their pets [Brooklyn Paper]


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  1. This is great news, and I’m happy for all the dogs and dog owners who will enjoy this space.

    Now, then, how about some leash-law enforcement in Prospect Park? There are no bad dogs, only bad owners, and the ones who let their animals run wild in a City park need to receive expensive tickets.

  2. nice work denton. while green spaces are wonderful, this somewhat useless patch of land will probably get more use by humans in year 1 than in the last 1000, and bring a greater sense of community to the area. very nice indeed.

  3. Yep, a friend’s photos I saw from 2008 runs very different to the statement “has been a dust bowl since I moved to this area of Brooklyn 4 years ago…” That would make it 2006? How’d that dust bowl revert to green pastures then back to a dust bowl?

    Just sayin’

    Sorry, pictures say 1000 words.

  4. I was a beautiful grassy green park with flowers up until a couple of years ago when the dog people cut through the chains and helped themselves. The dirt is FROM the dogs…

    Just saying (as a longer time resident than many it would seem)

  5. I am so happy to see that the dog park is becoming a reality! It was always surprising to me that this neighborhood lacked an amenity such as this since there is an abundance of dog owners.
    That little fenced in area does not have grass in it, it has been a dust bowl since I moved to this area of Brooklyn 4 years ago. Glad to see it’s finally being put to use!

  6. hey all, just checking in today, I’m up in Lake George for the week. plenty of photos at
    http://www.pbase.com/dentontay/18th

    rob, we have the cleanest dog run in the city, there will be no dirty dogs, germs, or worms allowed.

    AJ, it looks different at different times of the year, depending on usage…. that must have been after a particularly nice rainstorm! For example look at that photo on my petition in the snow 🙂