NYCdog, the umbrella group for NYC dog owners groups, was mentioned in this Feb 12, 2012 New York Times article. Parks Commissioner also makes a strong statement of support for dog parks and off-leash.
In New York City, years of restive debate were mostly quieted in 2007, when the Parks and Recreation Department announced that dogs would be allowed off leash in many large parks 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., making official what had been an accepted practice. Adrian Benepe, the parks commissioner, said that dog owners made parks safer by their presence “day in and day out, despite the weather.”
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In New York City, Mr. Benepe subscribes to the theory that dogs are less aggressive when they are allowed to socialize and exercise. Indeed, the number of dog bites reported in the city has plummeted in recent years, as the parks department has built dozens of dog runs and allowed dogs off leash. Still, he said, “the right to have your dog off leash doesn’t confer the right to inconvenience and injure other people.”
Bob Marino, president of the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups, an umbrella organization, praised the city’s decision to formalize the off-leash hours. “Under this administration, the whole idea is ‘Let’s work together and talk,’ ” he said. “Is it perfect? No. But it allows a city with limited land and a lot of people and a lot of dogs to coexist.”
