(Photo above taken by J. on April 9th)
It would seem that the problem of dog-owners allowing their four-legged friends to use Carroll Park and especially the 'rock garden' as a dog-run continues. Just a few days ago, a father posted the photo above with the following comment on the BoCoCa Parents list serve:"Friends: Among the growing number of people using the play area around the Carroll Park boulder as a dog run is the woman pictured here last night with her pit bull.One minute before I could get my camera out, the dog was running free, growling and nipping at the boys on the rock while she was bent over collecting a turd.This is the second time I have spoken with her about the fact that this is a no dogs area. Both times her reaction was hostile but ultimately passive. I have had the same conversation with other dog owners on several occasions (no, this is not a rant about bit bulls).
I have mentioned this to the park maintenance people, and asked them to see about replacing the No Dogs sign that conveniently disappeared from the gate to this area.I will also be calling 311, and probably running by the 76th Precinct at some point (although I don’t expect much to come of that).Here’s what YOU can do:-- Contact 311, ask about the missing sign and lodge a complaint about the dogsin the play area. If you see park officials, tell them, too.-- If you see any dog owner in the play area, politely remind them that theyare not allowed in there with fido, and that kids play where their pet iscrapping (I have had this conversation several times…smile, and be persistent.They will leave.)-- If you see the lady with the pit bull, expect her to grouse and groan abouthow unfair it all is, but she will move on.I am a big fan of dogs, and sympathetic to the lack of facilities for them in the community. That does not mean they belong in this part of the park."J.
Perhaps a simpler way to handle this is to repeat the Parks Department rules pertaining to dogs in Carroll Park once again so that dog owners know where their canine is allowed and not allowed.
*No dogs EVER allowed off leash in the Park.
*No dogs allowed in the Ball field, children's play area, sprinkler area and planting beds.
*Dogs are allowed ON LEASHES in the area around the monument and along the Smith Street side.
.JPG)
20 comments:
The school yard at P.S. 32 is used as a dog run as well. Dogs defecate and urinate on the astroturf while the owners are busy playing ball or rollerblading around the track - unaware of the mess not to mention it is on astroturf. It is disgusting and ultimately frustrating because the school janitors do not want to speak to the owners. When anyone in the neighborhood speaks to them they either ignore you or become obnoxious. Some seem to think it is ok to let their dogs defecate as long as they pick it up but you cannot pick up urine and often they don't even notice their dogs defecating. Tons of school kids and neighborhood kids play on the astroturf. To have dog owners let their dogs relieve themselves all over it is gross. If you see this and call 311, it is important to state that it is a school yard and the message needs to go to the DOE.
I'd like to think that most of us dog owners respect these rules and that this woman is an exception to the rule. Dogs do not belong in parks for kids and kids should not play in dog runs, for both safety and sanitary reasons.
I see this every morning when I walk to the "F". Dogs - OFF LEASH - on the Ball Field. Often I see them run (off leash) from the ballfield INTO the Rock Garden to Pee. However, they often pee on the tree in the ballfield, too.
Some of the ON-leash owners aren't much better since they allow their dogs to Pee in the Center of the Park - especailly on/in that big 'hollowed out' tree - - - Where I see kids playing every day on my way home from work.
Yes, I've also noticed at least 1 NO Dogs Allowed sign is missing from the Carroll Street Side of the Ballfield.
Honestly, I don't mind the Dog Owners who walk thier dogs through the Ballfield as a short-cut, as long as the dogs are ON-leash and they don't stop to tinkle. I've seen many do this, and they do NOT allow their dogs to poop/pee in that area. Note: I am a dog owner, too.
If the people who commented here are so concerned about dogs off leash in the park, then help us dog owners get a dog run built! We should not have to travel to Brooklyn Heights or the decrepit excuse for a dog-run near the BQE at Luquer Street. Although there is a new run at One Brooklyn Bridge at the end of Atlantic Ave, it is made of red clay...would you let your clean children with clean clothes run around in red clay and not expect to come home a filthy mess?
As for the dogs urinating and defecating around the rock garden, there used to be a lock on that gate, meaning it was off limits to parents, children and dogs. Perhaps you've never seen a rat, dead or alive, in there. Or in any other part of Carroll Park for that matter. That alone is reason not to let your children play in there, or any of the unpaved parts of the park. The rats and pigeons carry far more disease than the traces of animal waste left behind after responsible pet owners clean up.
And when was the last time you or your children used the bathrooms in the park? Why don't you complain about how filthy, unsanitary and unkept they are? Anyone remember when the men's room toilet was a festering cesspool for nearly three weeks?
I am a dog and child owner and guilty of taking my dog to both Caroll park and the P.S 32 school yard off leash. I do this early in the morning when no one else is there and I make sure that she does her business before getting to the parks. If someone else comes to use the paygrounds, I immediately leash her and leave. I don't really understand how this harms anyone or anything, and why these places can't have the same rules as Prospect Park -- where dogs can be off leash before 9 am. To the person who posted about P.S. 32 -- that yard is filthy and it has nothing to do with dogs. I often find gum on the astroturf, and tons of trash thrown around. When I'm there with my kids, I often see some of the bigger kids spit on the ground and astroturf -- this can't be sanitary either. I think it is possible to reach a happy medium and dog owners would be happy to stick to specific hours and rules, if we were allowed a bit more freedom with dogs.
BklynBorn your irresponsible rant is absurd. You have a dog, you take responsibility for it. It's not up to everyone else to dance around you.
@BrlynBorn&:Bred - Yes it is too bad there isn't a dog run close enough for you - but that doesn't change the fact that it is wrong for dog owners to bring their dogs off-leash in park areas where they don't belong. If you re-read the original post, it was stated that the dog was barking and nipping at the kids who ARE allowed in this area. I'm not sure why you think no one can complain because the park has other problems. To let dogs run around, threaten kids, and urinate and defecate in prohibited areas is just adding more problems.
The comment about dogs never being allowed off leash is not true.
Dogs are allowed off-leash within designated areas up until 9am and after 9pm.
http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/dogruns
So the areas where dogs are normally allowed, they are allowed to be there unleashed during off peak hours.
To the dog owner who goes into Carroll Park and PS 32 with their dog unleashed. You know you are breaking rules by doing this and when other people see this, they tend to break the rules as well. I now see a steady stream of people bringing their dogs in the PS 32 schoolyard and using it as a dog run. Just today I saw a woman let her dog urinate on the astroturf while my child was playing in there. As I said, more people have decided they are the exception to the rule and it ruins it for everyone else. PS 32 is a schoolyard and NOT a public park nor is it a dog run. There are rules posted and one rule is NO DOGS ALLOWED. Just because a kid occasionally spits on the astroturf, it doesn't mean it is ok to let dogs urinate and defecate on it and add to the problem. Most dogs in there relieve themselves on the astroturf and it is disgusting. I looked up the web site http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/dogruns The off-leash rule does NOT include Carroll Park in the list of parks and PS 32 wouldn't be posted because it is not a park. I own a dog and live near both Carroll Park and PS 32. I do NOT let my dog go into either of those places because those parks are for children. When you decided to get a dog in the city, you have to be responsible to your neighbors. I think it is really selfish to decide to bend the rules.
Yes. That rule. Read and weep. Yes. That rock area was always locked. I see mothers and nannys let their kids play in the dirt and planted areas. The rock area leads right into fireman Valentino area. That woman with her dog was a jerk. Before Carroll Park was a Gwenyth and Beonce hangout, we had always wanted a dog run. But there is no space for a real one. kids and nannys and dads and teens cause way more dirt and trash in CP than any dog. dog owners are caring. Not all are moronic dopes who are lazy and have the gall to let a dog off leash in an area meant for children. Kids always asked to pet my dog. She rolled over and let them !
Certainly a need for a decent dog run in the neighborhood, has anyone heard of a plan to create a dog run in the CG area?
Maybe some of the unused spaces under the F/G overpass could be converted
A few months ago, I saw this woman and her dog board the F train. The dog, wearing a "helping dog" harness, became extremely agitated at the sight of a very small dog (which was appropriately stowed in a travel bag). It was a scary experience, the dog barking and growling on a crowded subway car.
Alot of dogowners are oblivous to their dogs and surroundings. I am a dog owner (a small one)and I will approach people who are ignoring the rules, be it in the park or outside the park. I have many times called people out on their 'shit' and had them clean up the mess. I am astounded by the disrespect of some dogowners. Not all dogowners are irresponsible, but there are many who are.I make sure my dog is done with her business, she goes in the curb, I pickup and even clean up with wipes just in case. I am not suggesting everyone to go after these careless owners, especially if they have a large aggressive looking dog...but I do think that for the most part, by approaching and asking them to clean up as this is their community too, it may make a small difference and create more awareness on their part.
As for a dog run,go to your local council person and start there in trying to see if the city would assist, but you need petitions and persistance to make the impact. Otherwise it will always be wishful thinking.
Seems to me that everyone needs to just calm down. Who made you the police? I agree with Doggie Academy, that most dog owners, myself included, do their best to respect the rules. I don't take my dog to carroll park because the rule makes sense: if everyone took their dogs to carroll park and allowed them to play amongst the children it'd be a mess. So I understand the idea of being considerate toward one another. But I'm frustrated by the vigilanteism here. I think of one particular day when my son and I were walking our dog, who was sick. I had brought 2 poop bags, and before the end of our walk, she had already gone #2 twice. Then, she pooped a third time, and it was small and runny and on the far side of the sidewalk. There was nothing I could do, so I decided to walk to the nearby bodega and ask for a bag, then return and clean it up. On my way, a man started SHOUTING AT ME (was it you, Anonymous at 12:57?!?) to clean up my shit. I couldn't believe it. It was rude and totally presumptuous. Everyone, it seems, needs to settle down, and remember that we're all doing the best we can here.
Perhaps everyone should just folow the rules!
If you dog isn't allowed Off-leash, then keep it leashed.
If you kid isn't allowed to climb on rocks, keep them off the rocks.
If nothing - man or beast - should pee in the School Yard, then don't.
If you don't LIKE the rules, get a patition going, DON'T assume you're above the Law.
Speaking of law... perhaps the local police shouldn't ride around texting & cell phone-ing from inside an air conditioned car with teh windows closed. Maybe the shift commanders should require 1 to drive and the other to walk a beat. The beat cop could gently remind Off-Leash Owners AND discourage After School Pee People.
Katia, how about a word to the Percient Commander once in a while, instead of having businesses change thier TOO Brite Signs?
Somehow, in most European cities (and I've lived in more than a hand full), dogs are allowed on public transport, off-lease laws are generally ignored if in existence at all, and even non-owners recoil in horror when they hear about the draconian, rules-obsessed, paranoid, anti-dog policies in US cities. Granted, most of these cities also have more poop on the ground... but they also tend to have better behaved pets and more laidback populaces when it comes to our canine friends.
That said - I doubt such civilized, laissez faire attitudes will catch on in Brooklyn, the epicenter of self-satisfying outrage, any time soon. Especially if owners keep stealing signs and rubbing their neighbors' noses in flaunting our police-state park prohibitions. As such, I get annoyed when other dog owners break the rules and upset the natives. They ruin it for the rest of us: Well trained, friendly pets with responsible owners. For those dog owners who want to move our patch of NYC toward the shih tzu Shagri La of Paris, stop pissing off your neighbors and pick up the poop, socialize and train your dog, and follow every rule, no matter how stupid. Maybe over time, we can convert the mutt misanthropes (sorry, last terrible alliteration) to slide off their jack boots and support us in lobbying for more relaxed public place pet regulations.
BTW - I did actually have a cop yell at me for walking my on-leash dog through the concrete area as I was cutting through. It was the first time I'd heard I couldn't walk a dog through a park! Needless to say, the officer was rude, aggressive and threatening in our brief conversation, within which I admitted ignorance (and bewilderment) of the rule. But thank goodness our local police are protecting us from entitled yuppies like me briskly walking their 30-odd-pound goldendoodles from one side to the other of a totally empty park.
To all of you who are making excuses for not following the rules, get over you entitled attitude. The rules apply to you. Follow them, get them changed or move. We don't need more liberal animal laws, we need more enforcement of the laws we have. Not everyone is enamored of your animal. If my child peed and pooped where your dog does, you would be outraged. If your dogs are so wonderful, why haven't you trained them to poop in front of your own house?
I can't figure out why any pet owner thinks it is ok to all their dog to leave their fecal matter in a park.
Why do they make their dog my problem.
The rules apply to everyone, men, women, dog, & child and not just to one subset of people.
PS 32 is not an open playground and not listed on the site as such. It is closed to the public on weeknights, weekends.
http://www.nycgovparks.org/greening/planyc/schoolyards
The area near the rock still has a broken lock on the gate...the area is not meant to be played in by dog or child.
If you break the rules, others will follow. If everyone follows the rules, there will be peace.
The problem are the signs. P.S. 32 has a sign outside it's gate stating that it is open to the public Saturday, and Sunday with the times. I think the website is not up do date, because 32 is not on the list. The Carroll Park plaground has a sign at one of its entrances that states that dogs are allowed before 9 am and after 9 pm. (which by the way, I think is a good rule).
Post a Comment