Effin' parkies (SS dog owners beware)
Well, the city is ratcheting up the revenue collection machine. And you, the honest homeowning taxpayer, may be the next victim. Today I was walking my dog thru Detective Mayrose Park, on the North side of the Prospect Expressway, btw 6th and 7th Avenue, a route I take several times a day. My dog is…
Well, the city is ratcheting up the revenue collection machine. And you, the honest homeowning taxpayer, may be the next victim.
Today I was walking my dog thru Detective Mayrose Park, on the North side of the Prospect Expressway, btw 6th and 7th Avenue, a route I take several times a day. My dog is always always leashed, and always picked up after. A few people take their dogs off the leash there, but I am not one of them.
There was a NYC Parks Dept vehicle in there, which I seldom see, and it appeared they were looking to give tickets to owners of dogs off the leash. Fine and dandy.
Meanwhile, on the SOUTH side of the Prospect, in the same park, there are two spaces that are behind fences, with gates that are normally unlocked, that are used as defacto dog runs. There are signs on the outside of these spaces advising dog owners to pick up after their dogs.
These fenced spaces are pretty ugly and muddy. No parent would let their child play in there, and no adult would think to set up a bbq or similar in there. They have no use as currently configured EXCEPT as a dog run. Furthermore, the city sees fit to place garbage cans around the perimeter precisely to hold poop bags. And I’ve been using this as a dog run for the year that I’ve lived here, along with a number of other dog owners.
I had unleashed my dog in one of these areas and was chatting with one of my neighbors, who owns a beautiful dog and a beautiful house on a nearby street, when these same clowns drove up in their truck, apparently after following us.
They advised us that as this was not an ‘official’ dog run (since it had no dog run sign) we were in violation of the leash laws and were to be summonsed. My neighbor argued the point but there’s no point in arguing with a coupla city employees with a ticket quota.
I refused to produce a driver’s license and one of the agents maybe did or didn’t call the po-lice. At that point i was steamed and told her I had no problem with a night on Rikers as I’d spent a few in my time. Also didn’t give her a good address.
So beware of these Asshats. Yeah, I know, they’re only doing there job. Some people wouldn’t apply for the job.
I guess this is just the beginning of an onslaught of revenue ‘enhancements’. Hold on to your your wallets.
My husband takes our dog to a place like that in Red Hook. A few years ago he got an off-leash violation, and he challenged it. He made his case to the judge (fenced in area, always picks up after the dog, etc) and the case was dismissed. No guarantee your judge would be as sympathetic, but I’m just saying.
I’d be happy to sign. I haven’t owned a dog since my Chicago years (a beautiful big Akita) but I feel for all of you…except the ones that don’t pick up poop.
Glad you beat the ticket. Any idea how much it would actually be??
I’m not a dog owner (in fact I’m a cat person) but I know the park you are speaking of. I always thought that area was actually a dog run. If you decide to get some signatures together or something I’d be happy to sign. Dogs in this city need a safe area to run free and play and I have no objection to the area you speak of being reserved for dogs, grass or no grass.
As a dog owner myself and as someone who worked for years in a city park that serves as a Downlow Dogrun, I have no sympathy for you.
I’ve seen dog-violation dragnets over many years, and they are rare and always a function of 311 activity–usually one ahole with an aggressive dog ruining it for everyone. In that situation, it’s good to give out some tickets. The rules are the rules, they are there to protect everyone, and again, I say this as someone who illegally runs her dog all the time.
Either go before or after 9am, when it is legal and they can’t ticket you, or accept the (very occasional) ticket as a cost of doing business. And know that the police hate ticketing for dogs off leash, and will only do it (in Queens anyway) if someone else’s dog gets hurt or if they have a lot of calls about it being a problem.
PS: it really helps to be very nice with the police when they go to ticket you for this. They’d really rather give you a warning, it’s the same to them, they make their numbers as long as they are filling out paperwork.
Good luck to you
I’m all in favor, let me know. My email is denton at speakeasy dot net. If they give out a few more tix, there will be a few more pissed off dog owners willing to help.
Why don’t we organize to get that space, or another space in that weird park turned into an official dog run?
Denton,
Nice to see you riled up! Not happy it happened to you, but a hat tip and wink for how you handled it!