Unleashed dogs in parks

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104 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Bill Vojtech (not verified)

"From what dog owning friends and neighbors have told me, they have been told by Parks Department employees that no one will bother them before 9:00 a.m.

I know no one who has been bothered. You can go there before 9:00 a.m. and whatch the doggies frolic. That's as ""official"" as need be.

The field is away from the road, and I've never heard of anyone complaining about loose dogs, so I guess it works for all concerned."

Anonymous's picture
Bob of Middle Village (not verified)

"If some religion considers dogs ""unclean"", your opposition to that belief matters not a whit. The religion isn't required to consult you before it establishes a doctrine. [But at least you looked this info up!]

You are not required at all to believe that doctrine, but you have absolutely no choice in accepting that there are people who do believe.

No amount of protest or disbelief can overturn the doctrine of any other religion. That's really what the First Amendment is all about.

Now, the First Amendment is enshrined in the law books - and tested many times, and remains there to protect us all from having our beliefs attacked by any level of government, including the prosaic Parks Department.

On the other hand, the policy of unleashed dogs survives only in darkness - never written. No one knows the details of the policy.

How does an unwritten law protect anyone? It could be rescinded tomorrow, or it could be re-unwritten to call for capital punishment, and you'd never know, would you?

Do you really want our government administered by people who can ""write"" unwritten laws?"

Anonymous's picture
Bill Vojtech (not verified)

"Actually, the 1st Amendment just says that there can't be any official state religion, like ""The Church of England,"" etc.

It does not say that the rest of us have to bend over backwards to accommodate every wacko religion."

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)
Holden's Misinformation Campaign

"Bobby H:

Stop telling people the ""Leash Law"" is a law. It's a regulation promulgated by the NYC Health Department, and amended several times, including in 2003, which explicitly gives the Parks Commissioner discretion in enforcement.

Since the ""Leash Law"" is not a law at all, but a regulation, both the Health Department and the Parks Department have agreed to begin another amendment process to formally codify the sucessful 20-year policy of Offleash Hours into the Health and Parks regulations. This will prevent specious lawsuits such as the one recently brought by the Juniper Park Civic Association from clogging the courts and wasting taxpayer money.

Learn more about the fight to protect Offleash Hours and to defeat the JPCA's meanspirited crusade against the dogowners of NYC. Sign the online petition to keep Offleash Hours alive:

www.nycoffleash.com"

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
i have a better idea...

"nycoffleash babbled:

> Learn more about the fight to protect Offleash Hours
> and to defeat the JPCA's meanspirited crusade against
> the dogowners of NYC. Sign the online petition to keep
> Offleash Hours alive:
>
> www.yadayadyada.com


i say let's not...instead, sign the petition posted by the person who started this thread:

http://www.petitiononline.com/Juniper2/petition.html

don"

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)

"To support continuation of the 20-year successful Offleash Policy, sign this online petition:

http://www.nycoffleash.com/html/petition.htm




Have a nice day Donnie."

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
a name to remember...

"...the next time someone is attacked by an unleashed dog:

and a nice day to you too, matt. :)

here is aword doc with pictures showing what an unleashed dog did to a leashed dog on sep 6th.

don"

Anonymous's picture
Evan Marks (not verified)
and worse...

"...one of my coworkers complains that she can no longer wear any of her ""hoochie-coochie shoes"" - her words, not mine - since being knocked over by an unleashed dog. IOW her knee is ruined."

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)
Donnie's made a big mistake

Donnie:

Nice try. Your Whois lookup and subsequent email correlation found a member of our group, but, alas, it's not your humble correspondent.

I will be sure to pass your posting by Mr. Parker who can decide for himself if he wishes to pursue privacy violation/criminal incitement charges against you. I'll be sure to pass your Rego Park address onto Mr. Parker if he wishes to pursue this.

P.S. Nice cartoon on your website.

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
incite this...

"...interesting. actually, the name to keep in mind the next time someone is attacked by an unleashed dog:

food for thought...

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/computer_resource_centers/images/af_dog_runs.html

New York City Dog Runs

In New York City, dog owners often complain that their dogs cannot possibly get proper exercise because of the mandatory leash law. Parks & Recreation has a solution to the problem: DOG RUNS. Dog runs are enclosed places where well-behaved and friendly dogs can roam and play off-leash. Dog runs give urban dwellers and their pets a country-like place to frolic.

For dogs to run however, owners must clean up after their pooches and pay close attention to their actions. Owners are encouraged to inquire about any dogs already in the run which are unfamiliar to them, prior to entering the run, to avoid unnecessary dog fights. Doggies must be properly inoculated and parasite-free so as not to infect their friends. In addition, ""rebel"" dogs must leave their pinch and spike collars at home so that others are not injured. Instead, dogs should wear a basic flat buckle collar with city license, rabies and identification tags because only dogs who are licensed may use the run. Because these runs are dedicated to user groups, the maintenance and enforcement of rules in the runs are up to the users.

To the dog owners who still gripe about leash laws, Parks & Recreation enforces the health code laws for several reasons. First, unleashed dogs pose potential danger to people and to other dogs. Many park users, horses, park wildlife and leashed dogs have been attacked and bitten by unleashed dogs. Second, many park visitors are frightened by dogs and may find unleashed dogs to be intimidating or annoying. Third, unleashed dogs are more likely to leave behind waste that is not picked up by their owners; canine waste is a known source of several pernicious zoonotic diseases. Finally, unleashed dogs destroy lawns and flower beds: areas used as informal ""dog runs"" have been severely damaged by the combination of wear and uric acid, a known killer of plant life."

Anonymous's picture
Timothy McCarthy (not verified)

Do not post names and contact information like you have. Cease and desist from this sort of behavior.

Timothy McCarthy
NYCC Webmaster

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
you forgot to say 'please' and 'thank you' (nm)
Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)
"No one's starting a ""ban the cyclists"" movement..."

though about 8 years ago I was struck in Prospect Park by a cyclist off the circuit who then told me to go copulate with myself.

Punish the individuals who violate the law, not the whole class of park users.

Learn more about the successful 20-year policy of Offleash Hours and let's ALL share the park. Ending offleash hours will create MANY more problems involving dogs than it would solve.

Sign the petition supporting a continuation of the Offleash Hours policy:

http://www.nycoffleash.com/html/petition.htm

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
your logic is wearing thin...

"> No one's starting a ""ban the cyclists"" movement... though
> about 8 years ago I was struck in Prospect Park by a cyclist
> off the circuit who then told me to go copulate with myself.

your argument is wearing thin...nobody wants to ban dogs. unleashed dogs belong in specified dog-run areas. just like bike riders belong on the street and not sidewalks/offroad in the park.

keep your dog on a leash...it's the law.

don"

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)

"Don:

Either you can't read the regulations properly (both the ""Leash Law"" and the Rules of the City of NY) quoted previously, clearly giving the Parks Commisioner discretion over Offleash Hours, or you just willfully ignore that inconvenient truth.

A State Supreme Court judge is currently weighing the inter-agency (Health, Parks, general City) regulations and will most likely come down with a ruling in the next few weeks. If it comes down in your favor, you've told me so! If it's in the favor of the tens of thousands of NYers who use Offleash Hours, we'll simply continue to enjoy the parks as we have for over 20 years.

The City, in the meantime, has begun the process to amend the regulations to even better clarify the various City regulations, so that people like you, the Juniper Park Civic Association, and Mr. ""Advocate"" won't be so confused in the future, and taxpayer money won't be wasted on spurious lawsuits.

Some light reading for you: www.nycoffleash.com

Dear Readers: For those really interested in the legality of the various agency regulations regarding this subject, there's a detailed Memorandum of Law here (in particular, pages 12-16): http://www.nycoffleash.com/html/files/NYCDOG_S%20MEM[1][1].%20OF%20LAW%20IN%20SUPP.%20MOT.%20TO%20INTERVENE.PDF

Maybe I'll see you in the park--after Offleash Hours, I'll be there with my bike, weather permitting. :-)"

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
eventually someone will

"> Maybe I'll see you in the park--after Offleash Hours,
> I'll be there with my bike, weather permitting. :-)

why not show up at 6am for laps with the many other people who excercise during the early morning hours. be careful not to let an unleashed dog knock you off your bike (maybe even bite you) - ""nycdog"" will see things from a different perspective.

of course, if you feel cyclists shouldn't be in the park before 9am...

don"

Anonymous's picture
R. (not verified)
"to remain ""clean,"" never leave the house"

"Maybe people in fear of being ""soiled"" by other living creatures, should never leave the house."

Anonymous's picture
Bob of Middle Village (not verified)

Perhaps these people should never leave the house so as to remain unsoiled. But, are you proposing that this be enforced by the government?

What would an administration you oppose have in mind to keep you indoors? Who would you want to protect you from that?

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)
"""Leash Law"" is a regulation, not a law"

"Bob (Holden) of Middle Village:

Stop disseminating incorrect information on the Internet. The so called ""Leash Law"" is not a law at all, no matter how many times you claim otherwise. It's a regulation created by the Department of Health and amended in 2003 to include paragraph (b), which you anti-Offleash Hours people conveniently forget to quote:

Those who oppose the Offleash Hours policy frequently try to quote Section 161.05 of the New York City Health Code (informally known at the ""Leash Law.""), yet they often only quote Paragraph A of the code which says:

""A person who owns, possesses, or controls a dog shall not permit it to be in any public place...unless the dog is effectively restrained by a leash or a chain not more than six feet long.""

However, Paragraph B of the code makes it clear that the Parks Commissioner has full discretionary power on how to enforce the leash rules in the New York City Parks.

Here is the relevant section of Paragraph B:

""Notices of violation for failure to comply with this section may [emphasis added] be issued by....The Department [of] Parks and Recreation.

In law or legislation, use of the word ""may"" rather than the word ""shall"" has a very specific meaning. The word ""shall"" means that the provision is mandatory. The word ""may"" means that the provision is discretionary--in this case by the Parks Department, which is led by the Parks commissioner.

The framers of the amended 2003 Leash Law (working over 15 years after Offleash Hours were instituted in NYC), used the word ""may"" rather than ""shall"" because they clearly had the legal intent to carve out an exception for Offleash Hours in New York City Parks, according to the discretion of the Parks commissioner.

Three successive New York City Parks commissioners have strongly supported Offleash Hours and the law clearly gives them the authority to relax the Health Code in the parks at their discretion.

In addition to the Health Code, Section 1-04(i) of the Rules of the City of New York states:

""[N]o person owning or possessing any animal shall cause or allow such animal to be unleashed or out of control in any park except as permitted by the [Parks] Commissioner [emphasis added].""

There could be no greater expression of discretionary authority than this rule. The Parks Dept. Offleash Hours policy is clearly an exercise of discretion conferred upon the Parks Commissioner by Section 1-04(i) of the Rules of the City of New York.


Learn more about the battle against the JPCA and their misguided, meanspirited campaign against a sucessful 20 year public policy. Sign the online petition to continue Offleash Hours in NYC parks!

http://www.nycoffleash.com"

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
leash your dog

"nycoffleash wrote:
> However, Paragraph B of the code makes it clear that the
> Parks Commissioner has full discretionary power on how
> to enforce the leash rules in the New York City Parks.

actually, if you're going to quote the code (and criticise others for selectively quoting the code), then maybe you should quote the whole code yourself?

http://www.nycc.org/mb/Thread.aspx?B=1&T=7482&TP=1&C=(65)#Msg33571

nycoffleash wrote:
> In addition to the Health Code, Section 1-04(i) of the Rules
> of the City of New York states:
> ""[N]o person owning or possessing any animal shall cause
> or allow such animal to be unleashed or out of control in
> any park except as permitted by the [Parks] Commissioner
> [emphasis added].""

which is why the parks department has fenced in areas (dog runs) for dogs to run loose in:

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/rules_and_regulations/rr_1-05.html

§1-05 Regulated Uses (s)(3)
Dog Runs: Certain fenced park areas may be designated by the Commissioner as dog runs, and persons owning or possessing dogs are permitted to allow such animals to remain unleashed in these areas. Users of dog runs shall obey posted rules. All exclusive areas will be specifically designated as such and signs will be posted informing the public of this designation.


unleashed dogs are dangerous in ANY public area at ANY time. keep in mind, walkers, runners, cyclists, handicapped people roam the park during these times you ""claim"" dogs are allowed to run freely. your fight is wreckless and irresponsible - you're not doing nyc park enthusiasts (or the dogs) any favors.

don"

Anonymous's picture
Richard Rosenthal (not verified)
What is in caps, below, taken from your post, counters your post

No person owning or possessing any animal shall cause
or allow such animal to be unleashed or out of control in
any park EXCEPT AS PERMITTED by the [Parks] Commissioner....


Regulated Uses (s)(3)
Dog Runs: Certain fenced park areas MAY be designated by the Commissioner

Anonymous's picture
maggie (not verified)
lighten up, dudes

Geez, sense of humor anyone? Neither my dog, my bike, nor I are going to run over anyone. JOKE. Apparently the tone of voice didn't come through. Or some wildly literal minded folk are reading. However, there IS a petition circulating to ban DOG RUNS so I wrongly guessed it was the same one. As for the rules of offleash hours in Central and Prospect, they are posted on the parks dept. website: 9pm to 9am IN DESIGNATED AREAS in both parks in summer and 5pm to 9am in winter. Believe me, I read up on this when the CRCA marshal instructions called on us to tell dog owners to leash their dogs, that it's the law. In fact, it is not the law, at least not according to the parks dept. site. They're never allowed loose on roadways and only a jerk would have ANY dog loose on a roadway or anywhere NEAR a road or bike path. Perhaps a petition shoudl be passed to ban jerks.

Anonymous's picture
Rob (not verified)
NYC laws

Here is the link to the Department of Parks & Recreation dog run information page. This page lists all the dog runs by borough. Neither Prospect Park nor Central Park are listed:

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/af_dog_runs.html

Below is a link to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene health codes.

http://www.nycacc.org/researchtools.htm?nychealthcode

Among the laws is the following:

§ 161.05. Dogs to be restrained.
A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog shall not permit it to be in any public place or in any open or unfenced area abutting on a public place unless the dog is effectively restrained by a leash or chain not more than six feet long.

The parks commissioner doesn't have the authority to usurp the health codes. I suppose that is why a judge deemed the lawsuit legitimate and has allowed it to proceed.

Anonymous's picture
Bob of Middle Village (not verified)
Well trained dogs can make bad mistakes

"""Pat Miller: the top cop in Ventura, Calif., had just jumped from his car to join in the pursuit of a suspect when the K9 squad arrived.
Mistaking the lawman for a bad guy, Beemer, a Belgian Malinois shepherd, went for Miller's leg.
""The dog literally picked me off the ground. He ripped my pants and bloodied my leg,"" said the chief.
""

Now, here's a published report of a presumably well trained K9 patrol dog. Yet, he mistook the police chief for the suspect.

Could a very well trained household pet dog make the same mistake in a park?

Give that some honest consideration. And, then consider Rob's reference to the sensible, reasonable leash law that applies to all dogs at all times, in all public places. The law leaves no confusion, as does the unwritten, unofficial personal policy of the Parks Commissioner."

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)
"If you're going to quote the ""Leash Law"" quote the whole thin

"Mr. ""Advocate"":

Selectively cherry picking your legal quotes is doing a disservice to everyone reading this board.

As you've noted on your blog (I hate to call it that, since you don't allow anyone to comment, nor an email address to contact you to correct your outrageously incorrect information), you don't like when people on the Internet play ""Arm Chair"" lawyers. Yet a sentence letter you do the same exact thing!!!

For your edification, and for anyone else who wishes to see the entire Section 161.05, here's paragraph (b), which explicity gives discretionary authority to the Parks Commissioner on how to enforce the Health regulation in NYC Parks:

""Notices of violation for failure to comply with this section may [emphasis added] be issued by....The Department [of] Parks and Recreation.

In law or legislation, use of the word ""may"" rather than the word ""shall"" has a very specific meaning. The word ""shall"" means that the provision is mandatory. The word ""may"" means that the provision is discretionary--in this case by the Parks Department, which is led by the Parks commissioner.

The framers of the amended 2003 Leash Law (working over 15 years after Offleash Hours were instituted in NYC), used the word ""may"" rather than ""shall"" because they clearly had the legal intent to carve out an exception for Offleash Hours in New York City Parks, according to the discretion of the Parks commissioner.

Three successive New York City Parks commissioners have strongly supported Offleash Hours and the law clearly gives them the authority to relax the Health Code in the parks at their discretion.

In addition to the Health Code, Section 1-04(i) of the Rules of the City of New York states:

""[N]o person owning or possessing any animal shall cause or allow such animal to be unleashed or out of control in any park except as permitted by the [Parks] Commissioner [emphasis added].""

There could be no greater expression of discretionary authority than this rule. The Parks Dept. Offleash Hours policy is clearly an exercise of discretion conferred upon the Parks Commissioner by Section 1-04(i) of the Rules of the City of New York.


For more information on the legal arguments as well as the public policy debate on this issue, visit www.nycoffleash.com
"

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
oh please...

"...let's not forget the note at the bottom of 161.05:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/public/161-03-notice.pdf


RESOLVED, that Section 161.05 of the New York City Health Code, as adopted in nineteen hundred and fifty-nine, be and the same hereby is amended, to be printed together with explanatory notes, to read as follows:
§161.05 Dogs to be restrained.
(a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog shall not permit it to be in any public place or in any open or unfenced area abutting on a public place unless the dog is effectively restrained by a leash or chain not more than six feet long.
(b) Notices of violation for failure to comply with this section may be issued by any authorized employee, officer or agent of the Department, or of the Departments of Sanitation and Parks and Recreation, or successor agencies.
Notes:
Section 161.05 was amended by resolution adopted on December 10, 2003, adding a new subsection (b) to authorize its enforcement by duly authorized agents and employees of the Department and the Departments of Sanitation and Parks and Recreation.
"

Anonymous's picture
BCool (not verified)

Do we need 20+ posts about dogs in the park? Take it easy. Why not spend your time enjoying your bike instead of getting crazy over this.

Anonymous's picture
John R. (not verified)

It got crazy when Rob decided to solicit this MB with the petition in the first place.

Anonymous's picture
Rob (not verified)
Take a deep breath

"As I described it in my opening post this is a ""very contentious issue"". I know a lot of cyclists who complain and think that they have no recourse. There are dozens of dog websites that advocate for off-leash privileges. I was just offering another opinion. There's always two sides to a story so let the judge sort it out. That said, I apologize for raising some folks blood pressure. Let it end with this post. Thanks."

Anonymous's picture
John R. (not verified)

Rob- That was very classy of you. Thanks!

Anonymous's picture
Ron Torok (not verified)
No, please continue . . .

No, please continue . . . the entertainment value of this thread beats cable (and work).

Anonymous's picture
tony (not verified)

Enough already.

Anonymous's picture
? (not verified)
?

Is it spelled laim or lame?

Anonymous's picture
<a href="http://www.OhReallyOreilly.com">Peter O'Reilly</a> (not verified)
indent this - how far to the right can we go scrolling

maybe we should start another thread debating whether certain cyclists should require leashes - or not.

Anonymous's picture
mike (not verified)
akc pledge I saw this in madion park today

"""I will make certain that my dog is identified with both a collar tag and a microchip and I will adhere to local leash laws""."

Anonymous's picture
Geeno (not verified)
dogs

"The other day I spotted a dog and its owner running together. The dog was on a leash. I guess it was one
of those ""Unparked dogs on leashes""."

Anonymous's picture
RMarino (not verified)

Please forgive this brief intrusion but I thought that you'd be interested in the following information. There is a new, moderated Yahoo Group just set-up to help solve the unleashed dog problem in the city parks. You are invited to join the group and share your experiences, ideas, photos, links, suggestions, etc.:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nyconleash/

Joining is easy and it is moderated to keep objectionable comments and individuals off the list. Feel free to forward this to other interested parties.

Anonymous's picture
don montalvo (not verified)
yeah, right...

"...moderated, as in ""if you're not with us, we'll delete your posts"". good luck with your yahoo 'forum'. :)

unleashed dogs are a nuisance and pose a danger to park users. nydog are exploiting a loophole and are in effect endangering park users. nydog are posting in the wrong forum if they're looking for support.

one day someone will be hurt because of an unleashed dog and the city will be sued - nydog (including the cowards at nydog who post anonymously - like ""nycoffleash"") will run and hide while the laws are rewritten mandating leashes except in approved dog-run areas. and who can blame them...why would anyone want to take responsibility for helping to create an unsafe environment?

don"

Anonymous's picture
nycoffleash (not verified)
Donnie's up late

"Smartie:

Maybe it's because you were up at 4:32am posting your inaccurate screed that you don't even recognize that you're criticizing your own buddy, the Prospect Park anti-Offleash Hours ""Advocate.""

As a biker myself, I'm not even going to go to comparing the issue of law and bike accidents/deaths/the small number of irresponsible bike riders who may give others a bad rap, with the current topic of Offleash Hours being a good public policy that has worked well for all NYers in drastically lowered rates of dog incidents both in and outside of the park.

Loophole in the law? Whenever you don't agree with a regulation or law, do you call it a loophole?

I'm glad that despite your previous incorrect posts about the legality of Offleash Hours under ""Leash Law"" you now see/inadvertantly admit that the ""Leash Law"" permits the Parks Commissioner to allow Offleash Hours. FYI, the ""Leash Law"" was amended in 2003 to specifically add that ""loophole"" as you term it. Most others realize it was a deliberate act by the Health Department to further clarify the authority of the Parks commissioner regarding the Offleash Hours policy, which as that time had been out there for over 17 years.

www.nycoffleash.com"

Anonymous's picture
DvB (not verified)

"Maybe as a ""biker"" you're of the mind that offleash hours are ""good public policy,"" because, hey, in the event of a canine encounter you can simply twist your bike's throttle and accelerate the heck away from danger.

However, many CYCLISTS (myself included) think it's ""stupid public policy"" -- at least in Central and Prospect Parks. I'm as ardent a dog lover as I've ever met, and to be honest, as a cyclist I'm just as worried about what an accident would do to the dog as I am about what it would do to me. I'd be inconsolable if I hurt a dog while riding. Why would a dog-owner risk it, when there are some really nice dog runs available -- not to mention off-leash hours in places like Riverside Park, where cyclists and dogs are much less a threat to each other?

I'd be lobbying for more dog runs, not for codified off-leash hours.
"

Anonymous's picture
Colleen (not verified)
how about unleashed on the GW bridge?

That's what I encountered coming home yesterday. Talk about dangerous for me and for the dog. The guy had one dog on a leash and one dog running free all over the place.

Anonymous's picture
Sienna (not verified)
90 responses so far

Come on, people! We can get this to 100 posts! Bicycling.com used to have little flaming icons when a topic reached 100 replies. I don't know if they still do that, with their site re-design.

Is this the post with the most replies in NYCC message board history? If not, which WAS the most popular topic? I am curious.

Come on. Nine more replies. It's like waiting for my car odometer to roll over from 9999 to 10000. This is how boring my job is.

Anonymous's picture
chris o (not verified)
OK - I'll contribute

"I hate when people say ""enough"" or ""this thread must stop."" That makes me want to just post out of reactionary defiance. But I don't have to do that here, Sienna. Instead, I can post out of mere compliance to your request."

Anonymous's picture
Etowayne You-Know-Who (not verified)
I don't own a dog but...

"
...I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night and practiced law this morning on my bicycle.

Only kidding folks. But for the deep thinkers among you, let me ask a few remarkably thoughtful questions:

1. If I am walking down the street and a a dog in front of me on a less-than-six-foot-leash suddenly runs across my path-- and I trip over the leash -- (this actually happened) would I have been better off if the dog had been unleashed?

2. What if I am a bicycle owner who is training a pet Siberian husky, (who by instinct likes to pull things) and I attach the dog's leash to my handlebars and let him pull me up Heartbreak Hill on the northern end of Central Park? Who should get after me, threaten to sue me, or curse me out: a) Other bicyclists jealous of my all-organic, non-petrol-burning assist? b) Dog owners jealous that I am able to give my dog maximum VO2 exercise while their dogs are still either running free or walking attached to a leash? 3) PETA?

3. What if I train my dog to stand on my trunk rack (across which I've attached a small board) with his front paws on my shoulders while I ride? Am I in violation of the law because the dog is not leashed? Shall, may, or can I be arrested/summonsed/scolded by a) a police officer? b) a park guard in a Smokey The Bear Hat? c) The Parks Commissioner? D) Bruce Smolka of the NYPD (why not drag *him* into this ridiculous argument, too?)

4. Does the answer to the above question change if the dog is wearing a helmet? Does the answer to the issue of unleashed dogs change if the dogs are wearing muzzles? Does the answer to the issue of muzzled dogs change if the dogs are leashed?

5. If my chains and U-locks have consistently been broken and my bicycle has disappeared consistently as a consequence – and I then get a big, vicious looking dog to stand guard while I leave my bike unlocked..who has, shall have, or may have cause for complaint? a) The burgler who tries to steal my bicycle and gets bitten by the dog? b) Anyone who's sitting up reading this board at 4 am and worrying about it? c) Dog bloggers? d) Bike bloggers? e) Horses? (We haven't even begun to talk about unleashed horses, much less mountain bikes on the bridal path. Well, there is or was a thread on horse manure, but the stuff in the roads is nothing compared to some of the stuff popping up on this board lately.)

6. Final question: What is this entire, huge threadful of rants, cross-rants, counter rants, and counter-counter rants mostly concerning dogs doing on a bike club bulletin board and why is it going on for so long?

""When I say 'Sit,' don't you dare tell me 'Arf!'""

--Klepsovic the Dog Trainer

Your Pal,
Etoain Shrdlu

"

Anonymous's picture
carl (not verified)
"""invisible"" leash"

"
The other day I was commuting home to Manhattan on my bike towards the GWB. Instead of the main ""River Road"" in Weehauken, I decided to take the river paths that they constructed as part of the town house projects they built along the river.

Anyway, I'm riding through, and before I realized it, a dog was leashed on a long retractable cord that I didn't see (it was dusky). The master was behind some bushes. I crashed right into the leash, and the dog and master got pulled forward as well. Since no one was hurt, it was actually quite funny. But a warning to us all when there are dog walkers about.
"

Anonymous's picture
carl (not verified)

moral: leashes can be as dangerous as no leashes

Anonymous's picture
Claudette (not verified)
Electric fence

Perhaps we could equip ourselves with one of those electric fence devices that would give a little shock to any unleashed dog that comes within 5 feet of us?

Either that or we could attach dog-whistle frequency sirens on our bikes.

Does this make it 100?

Anonymous's picture
Sienna (not verified)
100!

Woo-hoo! 100 posts! Do I see 200???

Anonymous's picture
Claudette (not verified)
Sienna, you madcap gal! (nm)
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Judith Tripp (not verified)
Your job

Sienna, I'm curious what job you do that is so boring.

cycling trips