Dog Owners,
Advocates Push
For More Publicity Of Off-Leash Hours
Dog owners and advocates unleashed their concerns Wednesday over whether
canines should be restrained in city parks.
For 20 years, dogs have been allowed to run freely in select city parks
from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. In a hearing Wednesday the Health Board proposed
keeping it that way, but also suggested making a better effort to publicize
park rules.
The hearing followed a Queens park association's lawsuit against the cityís
claims that unleashed dogs can be dangerous.
Advocates support the board, saying leashing dogs could raise their aggression
and cause them to bite.
"When dogs don't feel threatened and they feel like they can escape they
don't bite,î said Animal Behavior Consultant Parvene
Farhoody. ìAnd so off-leash time is a wonderful time for both people
and dogs, because everyone's interacting in a really health natural way."
A State Supreme Court judge is expected to make his final decision on
the case before the year is up.
# # #
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.