As we've discussed before, Central Park turns the "designated areas" rule on its head by allowing dogs to run unleashed everywhere before 9 A.M. except where it's specifically not allowed. You'd think with all this freedom, dog owners would see no reason to run their dogs where it's not allowed because they have the rest of the park. Think again. Between about 7:50 and 8:10 this morning, we saw five loose dogs in the Ramble, and just before the end of dog hours at 9 A.M., we saw about a dozen loose dogs tearing around the Pinetum. In both areas, prominently posted signs require dogs to be leashed at all times. Of course, there were no cops or other enforcement agents around. Perhaps it is time for Central Parks Conservancy, if it cares, to do what some building agent (apparently) did on 58th Street in Manhattan. Tupper's Prospect Park Alliance is too much a tool of the loose dog lobby even to conceive of this.
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Yesterday, along Prospect Park's perimeter road between about 7:30 and 8 A.M., we passed 85 pedestrians. One was walking a dog. 63 of the pedestrians were black. The rest were Asian, Latino, and white. We saw a half dozen dogs on Long Meadow (one leashed), and three other dogs illegally unleashed, all with white owners.
1 comment:
I didn't realize this about Central Park; thanks for the tip. I'd like to start birding there again, but not if I have to deal with dogs in the Ramble, which is probably off limits, but not enforced.
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