Serving Brooklyn's Off-Leash Community

FIDO is committed to ensuring that Prospect Park is a safe and healthy place for dogs; that responsible supervision of dogs will ensure enhanced opportunities for off-leash activity. Please make a serious effort to monitor your dog's interactions whether it be on the sidewalk or in the park itself Next Coffee Bark - Sat, December 6th, 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. new location - beside the Picnic House What's Coffee Bark? Bark The Herald Angels Sing - Sat, December 13th, 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. new location - beside the Picnic House The Fabulous Fido Calendars will be available at Coffee Bark on Nov.1 and Dec. 6. Suggested donations as follows: 1 for $12.00 2 for $20.00 3 for $25.00 Can't wait until December Coffee Bark? call Lynn at: 718-965-0273 T-shirts also available as follows: FREE with $25.00 membership to FIDO 1 for $15.00 2 for $25.00 Download the FIDO Autumn 2008 Newsletter Or any Newsletter going back to Spring 2003 Leptospirosis? What it is; bottom line: critical that you vaccinate your dog! Note FIDO has a "health" section with all kinds of tips for canine park users Sign FIDO's Nethermead 5-9 on-line Petition

Autumn News   November 1st - FIDO General Meeting at Tennis House Tony Chiappelloni, FIDO President, officiated at the General Meeting in front of the Tennis House - a chance for concerned dog owners who frequent Prospect Park to ask questions; give input as to how they would like to see Prospect Park's administration respond to their needs. What better setting - the very steps where FIDO was first founded some ten years ago. Matt Parker, Vice President of the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (yellow jacket) did his best to fill everyone in on the history of FIDO's most Frequently Asked Question: how come we lost the 5 p.m. Winter and Summer off-leash privileges? Where the difficulty lies is that when the Health Department code was rewritten, "9 p.m. to 9 a.m." language was dropped in minutes before the vote was taken. Up to that point, there had been no mention of specific hours; hours that were to have been left to the discretion of the Park's Commissioner. The way the code is now written, exceptions cannot be made without a change in the law. by Sakura Amend   Robyn Bellamy, representing the Prospect Park Alliance (also with yellow jacket) assured the group that Prospect Park's administration fully appreciated the value of 5 p.m. off-leash hours; that afternoon off-leash had worked extremely well in the Nethermead for the past ten years.       The one thousand signatures asking that the 5 p.m. privileges be restored will add weight to promised future negotiations with the "powers that be". FIDO will continue to gather signatures for 5 to 9 off-leash privileges. by Sakura Amend   If you haven't signed our petition already, go to On-line petition Matt Parker suggested that for more information on City off-leash, go to www.nycoffleash.com As for an Official Dog Run? Robyn Bellamy again responded that restoring 5 p.m. hours would be the preferred solution by Prospect Park's Administration - though a trial dog run with temporary fencing hasn't been completely ruled out. Just don't expect anything along these lines in the immediate future. In the meantime, those who are able to bring their dogs down to J.J. Byrne Park, at Third Street between 4th & 5th Avenues (Old Stone House) can look for a much enlarged, brand new Official Dog Run, which should be completed this month. Garbage... Prospect Park admits it's a big problem - that on a Monday morning, it takes until 10 or 11 am to catch up with all the litter. They are in the process of installing permanent garbage containers, three of which have already been donated by FIDO. In addition, FIDO has contributed 60 garbage cans a year for some time now. Ball fields... It's still keep off no matter what, leashed or unleashed. This comes straight from the City itself - one rule fits all!!!   Conclusion... We came away with a sense that Prospect Park's Administration is still on our side, that the value of responsible off-leash goes a long way to make Prospect Park a safe healthy place for dogs and their people as well as other park goers. But what we need most are people willing to join with FIDO and do the work necessary to prod "officialdom" where the prodding does the most good. Our Steering Committee is overworked and could use younger blood. We meet at the Villa, usually on the second Monday of the month. Please Remember... What made FIDO in Prospect Park viable ten years ago was that a committed bunch of dog owners gathered together with Park administration to work out the basic off-leash rules that were essentially the rules we know today. The trick was to live by them.  By becoming a MEMBER of FIDO, dog owners felt empowered to apply peer pressure to those who still "didn't get it"!  Having control of your dog at all times is basic; it's still our number one priority today. If you are serious about responsible off-leash, we ask that you become a member of FIDO. We currently have about four hundred members which was certainly enough to inspire some twenty thousand plus New York City dog owners two year ago to make their voices known through petitions and letters when the City beat back the lawsuit by the Juniper Hill Civic association to end off-leash privileges. Instead off-leash privileges became off-leash law! Let's double our membership. Membership means you have a say in all manner of things "off-leash". Membership is a commitment to your fellow dog-owners as well as other park users. Membership is for one year. The  amount? Simply whatever you can afford from a few dollars on up. You can even join on-line. What's in it for me? Until everyone gets serious about standing up as a LARGE group committed to responsible off-leash rules, we're going to lose more and more off-leash space.  You've seen it in the Nethermead - tickets handed out almost EVERY day. Yet dog owners still come in hopes that the City will restore this ten year old privilege that really served Prospect Park's user groups. THINK about it - then go to our website; join FIDO; make yourself count. And don't forget to sign the Nethermead Petition 5 to 9 off-leash privileges. On-line petition Halloween Block Party... Stuart Siet, Denali the Gondolier & Bob Ipcar hold down the FIDO table at a Halloween Block Party for the benefit of New York Animal Rescue and Hamilton Dog House, founded by Sean Casey, certified wildlife rehabilitator Come adopt or volunteer some quality time with Sean's rescue animals. You may even find exotic reptiles as well because Sean is also a city designated reptile rescuer. Adoption charges include shots; chipping, vet check & more. Pet foods and supplies are also on hand. They are at 155 E. 3rd Street (Between Fort Hamilton Pkway & Caton Ave) Brooklyn, NY Phone: 718 436-7387 e-mail: nyanimalrescue@yahoo.com See their Petfinder Link for available animals October Coffee Bark - Blessing of the Animals... Father Murphy of Saint Saviour See Rina Deych's Blessing video on YouTube

Important Stuff ... Does your dog have a Rabies Tag and City Dog Tag? New City Health Department on-line registry- said to be painless and fast! Dog Licence Fido always has dog licence applications at Coffee Bark. See your veterinarian for rabies tags. FIDO video portrays Prospect Park's off-leash advocates* *Advocate - those who makes a meaningful contribution toward the benefit of Prospect Park and its users groups.

Off-leash Rules ... Official Parks Department Rules Off-Leash Rules in a Nut Shell.... We share the Park with lots of others: people, birds, critters, and plants.  It's a big park but heavily used. Please remember these few points - it can save you a bunch of money (like $100 per dog!) and be sure to tell your friends: Leash Up - with the new off-leash rules (9 pm to 9 am) it is also mandatory that you leash your dog upon request of a person of authority whether it's off-leash hours or not. It makes good sense and may defuse a situation that would otherwise cost you a fine for whatever the perceived reason. Note: the old 5 pm Nethermead privileges have been officially discontinued for the time being. BALLFIELDS The ball fields are officially OFF LIMITS no matter the season, hour, on-leash or not. This is a ruling by the City Parks Department that came with the legalization of a city wide off-leash policy - a kind of one rule "fits all" policy. Ball fields extend from the horse corral to the 9th Street path beside the Tennis House. Pee Wee teams in action? Give them another fifty yards of extra room: dogs and balls don't mix! FAQ: Does ball fields include the center swath of grass down the middle? Is it OK to be on-leash on the ball fields? A: Off means OFF. Park Policy says that dogs must be on-leash even while going around the ball fields until you reach the Ninth Street path leading to the Dog Beach. This also means that dogs on leash are NOT allowed on the swath between ball fields. DOG BEACH Dogs are NEVER, EVER allowed off leash in the water after off-leash hours. We know it's tempting, especially on weekends, but there are far too many passersby & children - many of whom would rather not encounter off-leash dogs. Be considerate of others! PARK WORKERS There may be workfare crews cleaning up picnicker's garbage before 9am, though mostly during summer months. They have a job to do which shouldn't have to include sweeping up OUR dog poop! Be aware that some of them would rather not meet off-leash dogs, so we should make an effort to keep our dogs away at all times. HORSES Horses are spooky critters and any encounter with dogs may lead to serious injury to the rider. DO NOT think introducing your dog to a horse will lead to a "fun" relationship. Avoid the bridle paths, PLEASE! Wooded areas, pathways, bridle paths and  roads are never OK for off-leash. Running your dog in the horse corral is a BIG no, no and the bridle path near the Nethermead is a particular sore point with the horseback riders - dogs could run across the road and hassle the horses. Anticipate trouble - KEEP Your Dog Away! SQUIRRELS It's against everything Fido stands for to let your dog chase them - and it's a big, big NO as far as the Park Rangers are concerned. Letting your dog pursue squirrels is having a dog that's out of control - a major serious issue. NESTING AREAS - (woods as well as along waterways) Dogs must be on leash in these areas anyway. There are park users who are nervous about encountering off-leash dogs within the confines of a trail. Your dog must be on leash, ALL the time! PLAYGROUNDS Please Don't! Moms with Dogs & Toddlers: Stay alert. There's always the danger of a little one being toppled by exuberant playful dogs... Remember that the water at the Dog Beach gets VERY deep, VERY quickly. It is NOT a toddler pool! USE COMMON SENSE!

Memorial Tree... The Canine Memorial Tree In Prospect Park You're welcome to list your dog on our web pages as well in a special Memorial Tree Book to be kept at Prospect Park's Audubon Center

Where Are My... Where Are my Fido E-mailings? You're a bonifide member of Fido but have never received any e-mail? We batch e-mail Fido alerts/notices from time to time so if you haven't received any of these, most likely FIDO could be on your spam list. Often we are unable to make out the handwriting on the membership applications - all the more reason to renew your membership on-line. See the "join Fido" button on our menu. If you think you're current then let Dhia (Membership) know at shamandhia@yahoo.com Note to Yahoo/Verizon Members: We get a great number bounced back to us - chance are we're in your spam list of blocked e-mail. Go to the blocked mail folder and look for an address entitled "bob@exitfive.com". He sends out our batch mail since fidobrooklyn.org is blocked at the server level for mass e-mailing...

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FIDO 230 Seventh Avenue, #157 Brooklyn, NY 11215

Morning Sun by Bob Ipcar