Much Barking,
No Bites
at Hearingon Legalizing Off-Leash Dog Policy
By CHRISTOPHER
FAHERTY
Special to the Sun
November 2, 2006
Among hoots, hollers, and applause, advocates on both sides of a proposal
to formally allow dogs to roam free in city parks presented their cases
at a public hearing yesterday held by the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene.
If passed, the amendment to the city health code would allow for the continuation
of a longstanding but unofficial New York City Department of Parks and
Recreation policy that permits dog owners to unleash their pets in city
parks between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Advocates favoring the proposed amendment rallied with their pooches outside
the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene's offices at 125 Worth St.
before the hearing.
The proposal comes after a community organization in Queens, the Juniper
Park Civic Association, brought a lawsuit against the New York City Department
of Parks and Recreation in an attempt to squash the off-leash policy.
Inside the auditorium, emotions flared as advocates on both sides of the
issue took the podium to testify.
"This proposal is absurd, and to implement it is criminal negligence,"
a member of the Juniper Park Civic Association, Robert Doocey, said. "The
city wouldn't consider a proposal to allow fireworks in parks. Unleashing
dogs is no different."
Mr. Mooney went further, saying "all dogs are potentially dangerous"
and that proponents of the amendment are "elevating dogs as superior
to humans." He left the podium to a round of applause.
Several others also testified against
the proposal, telling horror stories of unleashed dogs attacking them
at city parks. Michael Chimenti of Queens said he has been attacked on
two different occasions while riding his bike.
Most of the about 40 people who spoke at the hearing, however, were in
favor of the amendment.
In a common theme at the hearing, advocates argued that a healthy and
safe dog needs socialization and exercise.
"Many studies confirm that dogs who get off-leash exercise are much
less aggressive and can cope with their surroundings," the president
of the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups, Bob Marino, said. "With
few dog runs, off-leash park activity is the best way to tire and socialize
dogs."
A certified animal behavior consultant, Parvene
Farhoody, said dog bites have dropped dramatically in New York City
since a parks commissioner, Henry Stern, instituted the off-leash policy
20 years ago. She also said that only 2.2% of all dog bites around the
country occur in parks.
One advocate of the proposal scoffed at the tales of dog violence."Those
who have a propensity to get bit need to be trained to co-exist with animals,"
the director of the Companion Animal Network, Garo Alexanian, said. "All
dogs can be manipulated. Can we say that about humans?"
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will review the testimony,
and a decision on the proposal is expected in mid-December.
# # #
Parvene Farhoody provides private consultation with pet owners every day,
instructing them in how to be attentive, engaged, and effective with their
pets, for a whole new relationship with the animals they love most. She
owns and operates Behavior Matters, Inc., an Animal Behavior Consulting
and Training service in New York City. She is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer
(CPDT), Vice President of the Certification
Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), as well as a Certified
Animal Behavior Consultant (CABC) and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
(CDBC) through the International
Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Ms. Farhoody holds a Diploma
of Canine Behavior from Cynology College. She is Assess-A-Pet and Train-to-Adopt
Certified by the Community Animal Shelter Association for both evaluating
rescue dogs for placement and teaching staff and volunteers at rescue
facilities about quality-of-life issues for rescue dogs. In addition to
consulting with shelters, volunteer groups, professional trainers, and
the public, Parvene has been featured on local and national television-The
Learning Channel and NickelodeonJr. For more information on The Protected
Pet Initiative, Parvene Farhoody or Behavior Matters, Inc. please visit
www.behaviormatters.com
or call 718.424.7556.