NYCityPets.com

Link to the Off Leash Petition

(or download a version of the petition here to pass around at work or in your neighborhood)

Support the responsible people who take their dogs off-leash in the parks only when they’ve been given the courtesy hours to do so.
The dogs need you now, more than ever.

(Photo by R. Duke via Flickr)

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The Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) in Queens is continuing the effort to end off-leash recreation in NYC. There will be another court date on August 29th to examine the “courtesy hours” from 9 pm to 9 am that give dog owners privileges to run dogs off-leash in parks without designated off-leash dog runs.

NYCityPets covered this issue earlier, but things are far from cut and dry with both sides of the debate publicly crying out for support.
Dog-owner groups need your support now more than ever, since the end of the 9-9 courtesy hours could bring about the end of off-leash space in dog runs eventually. It is not surprising to us that the JPCA doesn’t support the construction of a fenced, designated off-leash space for the park patrons any more than they support off-leash in the park proper.

Please send your thoughts on this issue to your councilmembers and pledge support to NYCDog.

If your fury isn’t fueled by our words, read this new blog that paints the picture of dogs doing more harm than good. How can that blog be called Prospect Park Advocate? We see no support there for a large portion of the park users!
We think those photos of the dog beach look fun, but we’re guessing that blogger doesn’t appreciate our furry friends.

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A Long Island bulldog, called Duke, is sitting on Death Row until it is determined whether or not he deserves a second chance in a new home.
Duke was involved in an attack on a 4-year-old boy (along with two Rottweilers), but people are coming to his defense because English Bulldogs are not known for their aggression or pack mentality.
Denise Flaim of Newsday.com has been covering the story and she tells people if they want to show support:

Long Island Bulldog Rescue is asking Duke’s supporters to attend the Hempstead Town Board meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, June 6, at 7 p.m. at Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion, adjacent to Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead.

They are also accepting donations for Duke’s legal fund at www.longislandbulldogrescue.org.(LINK)

For the full story, visit Long Island Bulldog Rescue(Photo from LIBR)

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The Juniper Park Civic Association and the Queens Civic Congress have filed a lawsuit against the NYC Parks Dept. that could result in the abolishing of off-leash privileges in many parks:

Juniper Civic obtains Order to Show Cause against NYC Parks Department for encouraging dog owners to allow their dogs to run off their leashes from 9pm to 9am in violation of the city Health Code. Hearing is set for June 27th in Queens Supreme Court. (–From the JPCA website)

Currently, from 9 PM to 9 AM, city parks that do not have dog runs are not enforcing the leash law and dog owners know this as off-leash hours.
The parkies that walk their dogs without leashes during the off-leash hours are still subject to the law and if any dog seems unruly, a ticket can be issued.

NYCityPets feels the entire issue is one of education. Do park goers really know where and when dogs are allowed off-leash? Many do not and are surprised when they see dogs running loose in the parks. Do park goers know that nighttime off-leash hours help to maintain park safety? If there was a public awareness campaign (with positive spin) to teach people about the off-leash hours, maybe everyone would feel more comfortable. You should know, however, that the JPCA has been barking up a storm about this issue for a while now, unfortunately.

Some large communities have sprung from these off-leash hours. NYCityPets hopes that this tradition will not be lost to bureaucracy. Dog owner groups in Prospect Park, Central Park, Riverside Park, Fort Greene Park, Marine Park, and Juniper Park among others, need to show NYC how much good will comes from a little leash-free dog play.

Here is one opinion on this issue.
Even more interesting is the fact that dog owners near Marine Park are asking the same question as the JPCA: Why do the off-leash privileges only apply to parks without designated dog runs? With a new dog run coming soon, many Marine Parkies would rather keep their off-leash hours instead.

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Stop by McCarthy’s Bar on June 11th between 6-10 PM for some food, drink, and education on the status of the PETS (Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards) Act: a bill that will help create an evacuation plan for pets in times of disaster.
To RSVP, Go Here.
Sponsored by Stray From the Heart, an NYC rescue.

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From the NY Post. The NYPD shot a muzzled and leashed Pit Bull in Bed-Stuy three years ago. The family has been awarded $25,000 in damages. What a sad story.

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Intro 13 is a second attempt to keep pets in NYC housing. The first bill, Intro 189 from 2004, would have forced rentals, co-ops, and condos to allow new pets in multiple unit dwellings if tenants were replacing deceased pets. Intro 13 only pertains to rentals because the co-op/condo lobby is powerful in this day of ridiculously high market values of real estate.

Here are the city council members who are not co-sponsoring this bill:

**Notice that the same council member that wants to ban bully breeds in NYC has not signed onto Intro 13. Councilman Vallone Jr., do you have something against dogs?**
Download the flyer from the League of Humane Voters of NYC (PDF file)

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Thanks to the ASPCA, you can carry around a little pocket guide to New York’s state cruelty laws.  You know, in case you catch a person in the act of dumping Fluffy out of a carrier into a local park like the man last Saturday in Riverside Park.  Now you can snap a photo of the perp with your camera phone and let the person know that animal abandonment is a crime under Article 26, code 355 and that you’ll be reporting the act to the police and the maximum penalty is 1 year in prison or a $1,000 fine. Power to the Paws.  Go Here to search the list of Violations or get a cruelty laws card.

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According to the League of Humane Voters in NYC, Council member Peter Vallone, Jr. of Queens is trying to re-introduce a proposal (Resolution 156) to ban pit bulls in NYC through the NY State Legislature. To learn more, go here and here (for NY dog law). Can one say that breed specific legislation is only bullying the responsible dog owners out there?

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