The next trial date for the Juniper Civic Association vs. NYC Parks Department is set for tomorrow. (Tuesday, August 28th)
Members of NYCDog will be in attendance, along with their team of lawyers, and some Queens dogs who want to keep off-leash hours in effect, as they seem to enjoy running and playing.

Our understanding is that there is a lack of support for off-leash hours and a fenced-in dog run in Juniper Park. With the attention this park is receiving, hopefully the dogs and their companions will benefit from this legal battle with the establishment of the biggest and best dog run in the city or a great public awareness campaign that off-leash hours are both here to stay and a benefit to the community. See NYCDog’s press release below:

NYCDOG to Defend Off-Leash Rights
In NYS Supreme Court,
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED 11:30 AM AT COURTHOUSE

Additional information: Bob Marino, President, NYCDOG
212.873.0006 / Email Bob Marino

The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCdog.org) will be in court at 9:30 am on Tuesday, August 29th to represent the interests of the owners of the 1.4 million dogs in NYC. At 11:30 am, a press conference will be held outside the courthouse All media outlets are invited. Information about the press conference is at the end of this press release.
* * *

In March 2006, the Juniper Park Civic Association of Middle Village, Queens filed a lawsuit against the City of New York and Parks Department to force the abolition of the 9pm-9am off-leash privileges that have existed for nearly twenty years in most city parks. The rule was devised by former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, and has been continued by the current Commissioner, Adrian Benepe. The Queens lawsuit seeks to abolish the off-leash privileges in all city parks.

The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups, an umbrella organization of nearly three dozen neighborhood based dog owner groups throughout the city representing nearly 20,000 dog owners, has filed papers to Cross-Motion to Intervene in the lawsuit. NYCdog’s motion papers seek to make the organization a party to the suit in defense of the off-leash privileges.

The case was first heard on June 27 by Hon. Judge Peter Kelly. In conference, the judge postponed the hearing until August 29th and asked both sides to attempt a compromise resolution.

Despite its reduced budget, the NYC Parks Department offered to resolve any perceived problems with off-leash dogs in Juniper Valley Park, Middle Village, Queens by constructing a dog park within its 55 acres. The civic association refused to even consider a dog park as resolution of the issue and has waged a campaign of dis- and mis-information about dog ownership in New York City.

The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCdog.org) has attempted to resolve the suit by offering to escort leaders of the civic association to view some of the successful dog parks that have been constructed in smaller parks throughout the city and to Prospect and Central Parks where no dog parks exist or are planned but where off-leash privileges have helped create a community of dog owners while reducing crime within parks. The civic association did not accept the offer.

IN addition to its motion papers, NYCdog submitted affidavits of support from
Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman
Meena Alagappan, Esq., Chair of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Standing Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals (ABCNY LIPA)
Jane Hoffman, President of the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City ’s Animals
Daisy L. Okas, Assistant Vice President of Communications for the American Kennel Club (AKC)

The NYCdog papers challenge both the standing and reading of the law as stated by papers submitted by the civic association.

The case is on the Motions Calendar of Judge Peter Kelly. The calendar starts at 9:30 am . There is no time certain for hearing the case. For that matter, the Judge may postpone it again. If heard, a ruling is expected in 4-12 weeks.

THOUSANDS OF SIGNATURES AND POSTCARDS TO BE SUBMITTED TO MAYOR, COUNCIL, AND PARKS

WHETHER OR NOT HEARD: NYCDOG WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE OUTSIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE AT 11:30 AM, AUGUST 29th.

NYCdog and its member groups from throughout the City have collected thousands of signatures and postcards in support of off-leash privileges. The petitions will be submitted to the Mayor, City Council, and Parks Department.

This will be announced at the press conference as will additional efforts to solidify support for the 1.4 million dog owners in the City.

MAJOR, INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRMS STEP-UP TO
DEFEND NYC DOG OWNERS AND DOGS “PRO-BONE-O”

The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCdog.org) is represented by Andrew Otis, Esq and Dora Straus, Esq. /Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and Matthew Greller / Blank Rome, pro bono, for the off-leash case. Four other attorneys also contributed their expertise in drafting the documents submitted to the court.

The international law firms of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and Blank, Rome , Comisky & McCauley LLP stepped forward to defend the rights of New York City dog owners and their companion animals.

NYCdog has filed papers seeking to become an Intervenor in the suit which would make us a party to the suit and any appeals, settlements, and negotiations. The case will be heard by Judge Peter Kelley in NYS Supreme Court in Queens on August 22 at 9:30 am . The courtroom is at 88 -11 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica , Queens .

Following the hearing NYCdog will hold a press conference outside of the court house. We hope that you will be able to attend. Representatives of some of our nearly three dozen community based dog owner groups will participate

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Say hello to fabulous Fred!

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At ApartmentTherapy.com, July was pet month. (Oops, sorry we missed it! We are still catching up on our reading!). AT listed adoptable pets from Petfinder all through July.

They had a Pet Decor contest, and they told us about Petholica-the NYC pet newsletter and Postmodern Pets-a shop “for design-savvy pets and their people”.

On Gothamist: The Animal Care & Control audit is a little depressing, but we can attest that here in NYC people are conscious of the issue and are working to do a better job for the animals.

Our Kittenpile was mentioned at Gothamist this month and there is a post about finding a good veterinarian in the city that includes some helpful comments.

On Flickr, Darvey the Pom has a cute tribute page. (Thanks to Atlantisa7 for the photo!):

Jon, from San Francisco, blogs about all the dogs he sees tied outside in the city. We aren’t thrilled about the idea, as we think it is scary to leave a dog alone out on a sidewalk.

If you think tick-borne diseases only affect dogs, think again: bobcat’s disease recently killed this Oklahoma cat.

My Cat’s Got Knees is a great ode to cats, probably even the greatest. (Video link)

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Does your dog like to strut her fashionable stuff? If so, your in luck because Leslie from UrbanDog says they will have a sale on lots of designer doggie items on August 22nd:

BEDS * BOWLS * CLOTHES * LEADS / COLLARS * DOGS / CATS * VESTS / HARNESSES * SPA

URBANHUND * FORTHEDOGS * FATBOY * THAYER & RIDGE * FAIRYTAILCOUTURE * KENYAN COLLECTION * CANINI * URBANDOG SPA

The sale is by appointment only. Here is the contact info:

600 Washington St NY, NY 10014
Phone:212 677 5622
Email: ls@urbandogny.com

Happy fashion hunting! (More on fashion to come as we check out the Pet Fashion Week this Sunday.)

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Meet Dudley the macaw. He loves to say hello to the other birdies in Riverside Park while his friend, Therese, takes him for strolls.

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ShopCat is a site about working cats. They have a New York page with a few NYC cats, including Miss Duane Reade and Candy from Bagel Baron.

Since we know a few cats that work really hard to entertain people in the waiting room, NYCitypets will be sending in some submissions to ShopCat.
We think Zorro and Annie definitely belong on ShopCat!

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Why does the Intro 13 bill matter?
Say you live in a dwelling with a “no pets” clause in your lease and you’ve had a pet there for over 90 days (you have not kept the pet hidden from the landlord or management).
If your pet dies and you attempt to bring a new pet into your home, the landlord can take legal action to evict you.

This is horrible for any New Yorker who loves pets and even more so for the homeless pets that need new families.

What will Intro. 13 accomplish?
Intro. 13 is a bill that will give tenants legal rights to get a new pet (of the same species) if the previous pet happens to die. In reality, the bill will not impact very many people because it cannot keep “no pets” clauses out of future leases. Therefore, landlords, co-ops, and condos will still keep their power to keep pets out of buildings. Although our dream of a 100% pet-friendly city could not come from Intro. 13, at least people will be able to give good homes to adoptable pets if the bill passes!

Where to Learn More:
If this interests you, then Team 13 needs your help to spread the word.

For more on why this bill matters, read
Democracy for New York,
Animal Friendly NYC,
League of Humane Voters of NYC.

To read the full text of Intro 13, go here.

Current Status of Intro. 13 in NYC City Council:
This bill is (stuck) in the Committee on Housing and Buildings. We hope the City Council stops sleeping on this issue!

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Does this count for Stuff On My Cat? Actually, these cuties are cutie adoptable. So send NYCityPets an email and we’ll arrange a meeting!

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From NYCDog:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 10, 2006

Central Park Paws alerted dog owners that on the morning of August 9th, a dog being walked in Central Park found a brown paper bag tied with ribbons and promptly torn it open to gain access to what proved to be chopped meat laced with straight pins (Central Park alert is below). Though severely injured by more than 30 ingested pins, thanks to the efforts of a caring Veterinarian, the dog will survive.

Unfortunately, sick people like the individual who planted the chopped meat exist everywhere. Each year we are alarmed by reports of Halloween candy laced with similar items. And recently, we have all read of a psychopath who poisoned a church picnic to inflict pain or death on his fellow church members. Fortunately these people are a small minority of society and most people do not act in such anti-social ways.

Sadly, the booby-trapped meat was meant to lure dogs so that they might be injured or killed. This individual is sick, malevolent, and dangerous to both dogs and citizens alike. People like this are no better than terrorists who would destroy our society and as such should be treated no differently when apprehended.

Any claims that may be made by some people that this incident would not have happened had the injured dog been on-leash should be dismissed as political posturing. As any responsible dog owner knows, discarded food on the streets and within parks –whether poisoned or not- is an almost irresistible lure to dogs. Many dogs are able to consume items found on the street within seconds and without missing a stride while on walks.

As responsible citizens, all of us should respect one another, be on the look-out for nuts who would hurt our pets, children, elderly, tourists, and our families. We urge park users to be to be on the alert for any items that might pose a threat and to immediately report any suspicions to the proper authorities. Do not touch anything.

NYCdog reminds all dog owners to constantly monitor their dogs whether on or off-leash. Do not allow dogs to roam through woodlands, underbrush, and flowerbeds. Do not allow your dogs to enter children’s playgrounds, ball fields, or any other designated-use area. Clean-up after your dogs. And, above all, respect all citizens and our parks.

The NEW YORK COUNCIL OF DOG OWNER GROUPS (NYCDOG) is a coalition of 35 dog owner groups throughout New York City representing over 25,000 dog owners. NYCDOG was founded to unite dog owners and dog owner groups throughout New York. We are dedicated to improving our communities by promoting the establishment and maintenance of humane off leash recreation opportunities, responsible dog ownership and respectful park stewardship.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Robert A. Marino
President
NYCdog.org

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From Central Park West:

Call: 212-724-9851 or 646-326-3254.

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