Two separate communities in Brooklyn are finding themselves in two similarly frustrating situations. Prospect Parkers in Park Slope, and visitors of Coffey Park in Red Hook, are both currently in disputes over their dog's freedom to roam. In Prospect Park, "No Dogs" signs went up last week reminding owners that loose dogs will cost them up to $100 in fines.
Meanwhile, in Red Hook's Coffey Park, citizens met yesterday to discuss extending park hours from 10pm until 10pm, and are working to establish off-leash hours from 6AM to 9AM and from 9PM to the park’s closing. The next meeting will be tonight, Wednesday, October 15 at 6:30PM in the Park House at Coffey Park, where members will decide if they actually want to make the park the "89th official off-leash park in the city".
Back in Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Paper reports that dogs have long gone under the radar, but its only recently that cops have their eyes out for our canine friends. Some think they're being unfairly targeted. Take Seth Kamil of Park Slope, who thinks cops are ignoring other problems like illegal barbecuing, and high school sports teams and adult leagues whose cleats tear up the grass.
One has to wonder, with dog-friendly cities popping up across the country, why does New York continue to marginalize our canine friends? Can we blame Bloomberg? Perhaps. Just two years ago the mayor struck down a proposal saying city residents would have to leave their pets behind in cases of an emergency evacuation. I can't imagine he's cool with them freely roaming our parks either.
