Serving Brooklyn's Off-Leash Community

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Top FAQ's ... ______________ Dog Attacks - Off-leash Rules - Dog Runs - Dog Tags___________________________________

Dog on Dog Attack... Q: (condensed) A friend in Indianapolis recently endured a terrible tragedy of watching one of her 2 beloved Brittney Spaniels get mauled to death by her neighbor's pitbull. Her other dog was severely injured too and she sufferred a few bites in the frenzy too. She's looking for places where she can get info regarding issues such as hers and doesn't know where to start. Any resources she can tap into for just this sort of info? A: She should also contact the ASPCA and Humane Society in her area, and Google "Veterinary public health" and "Animal Law Enforcement" and "Animal Nuisance Complaint" for Indianapolis specifically and Indiana in general. The AKC website may have links. She could also contact the State Bar Association and see if they can point her in the right direction. This referral type service is usually free. If she does go with an attorney, the Bar Assn. can help her find one that specializes in animal law. Yes, attorneys are expensive, but if she knows specifically what she needs him/her to do, that can save time and money. Unfortunately, dog-on-dog violence is a property crime in most places and pain and suffering does not factor in. However, if she can make a case that this dog poses a threat to humans (her, for instance) she may get some action. Prospect Park's Off-Leash Rules... Q: What happened to our 5pm summer off-leash privileges on weekdays in the Nethermead? Prospect Park is the crown jewel when it came to responsible off-leash. We had 5pm summer privileges for over ten years - appeared to work fine. Is FIDO ready to do something about this? In the Court suit, the Judge authorized the Parks Commissioner to use his own judgment when it came to off-leash - and that was before the Health Department ruled on anything! A: The rules were changed when the Parks Department made off-leash official this spring. The 5pm deal was exclusive to Prospect Park (and, in spring and summer it only applied to the Nethermead during the week and never weekends; park wide it was only in the winter). For the time being, and for the for seeable future, the hours are officially 9pm-9am, except where parks close, like Prospect Park closing at 1pm. Petitioning at this time would not help. In order to change this requires a another round of hearings and proposals, which Parks is not ready to attend to at this time. The change was the result of a lawsuit brought by a group in Queens to permanently and completely end off-leash, except for fenced runs, in all city parks. The courts ruled against them, and Parks and the Board of Health held rounds of hearings and came up with the 9-9 ruling. Dog Runs... Q: Why Not have an all hours Dog Run? Other parks have a closed off doggy sections for all hours off-leash (exp. Union Square). There's even doggy parks like the one in Red Hook/Carroll Gardens for dogs off-leash at all-hours. So why do we have to be bound by the evening hours to let our dogs be off-leash? Why don't we have an additional fenced off section just for dogs so we don't have to wait until 5pm or 9pm before we can let our dogs free? A: We suspect that any of the neighborhoods you mentioned would gladly trade their dog runs for the incredible off-leash space given to us by Prospect Park's chief administrator, Tupper Thomas. The dog run issue has been suggested before and Park officials have not displayed much enthusiasm for the idea. If we were to get a fenced area in Prospect Park, chances are excellent that one tiny area would be all we would get. It would be in a remote location, to boot. Just imagine the several hundred dogs that run on the 90-acre Long Meadow cooped up in a 1-acre run! Also, current Parks Dept. policy requires sponsoring organization to raise funds to build and maintain dog runs. Construction cost for a 1-acre run start at about $150,000; yearly maintenance is a couple of grand. Dog Tags... Q: How to I get a City Dog Tag? A: Need Dog Tags? Register with the City on-line O More FAQ's to follow