When Will The Dog Parks Re-Open?
Amanda Gagnon
When the city decided to padlock the dog runs, many New Yorkers weren’t surprised. At that point of the pandemic, social distancing wasn’t being taken very seriously, and the government forced the issue. Now, people have become accustomed to standing at a distance form one another, and unlike a basketball court or playground, dog runs afford the ability to stand apart while safely exercising our dogs. Many New Yorkers feel that it is long past time for the dog runs to reopen.
At a recent virtual meeting of Community Board 7 (representing the Upper West Side), several attendees expressed their dismay about dog run closures. “Dog’s need exercise,” an outspoken woman lamented as she detailed the difficulties she was having juggling her high-energy dog’s long walks and the demands of her family and work schedule. Altercations between dog owners and other park users are turning from terse to horrendous. Message boards are aflame with declarations of protest.
The lives of humans and their dogs are inextricably linked. Both dogs and their humans are stressed right now, because we are experiencing a marked increase in measures of control over our lives, and a sharp loss of many of our freedoms. Many species do not respond well to being controlled, cooped up, and stressed out for long periods of time. The longer we are required to control every aspect of our behavior, the more likely it is that we will become anxious or aggressive toward one another. Socialization is essential, but it is hard to come by during a pandemic. Perhaps, we should consider giving each other a little bit of rope (leash?) during all of this chaos. Take a deep, cloth covered, breath. This is temporary.
The dog runs are closed, and they are likely to remain closed for a spell. According to the Community board, and the New York City Department of Health, it is the governor who will decide when to reopen the dog runs. Despite the efforts of several kind employees at the governor’s office, no one was able to give me a clear answer about when this decision will be made. It seems that dog parks are not a priority, which makes sense if you think about it. Although you will be hard-pressed to find someone who will advocate more ferociously for dogs to have more freedoms and less restrictions than I will, I agree that opening the dog parks should not be a priority right now. There are so many serious issues that we are trying to navigate as a community, and while we focus on those priorities, there are many ways for us to provide relief from the challenges of closed dog parks. I have provided a few ideas below.
The most obvious: Long walks in our beautiful parks!
If you don’t have the time or energy for that, we have amazing dog walkers in our community. Many of them are suffering from lack of work right now. Need a referral?? Message me.
Dog Daycares are still open! They are essential, and you can drop your dog off curbside for a romp with other pups.
Central Park and Riverside Park both have off leash hours from 9pm to 9am. If your dog is able to run safely off leash, and you are familiar with the rules, you can enjoy that freedom in the park.
Many dog trainers, including my team, are offering online services that include webinars on how to provide indoor mental stimulation for your dog during the pandemic. We will also be offering outdoor dog training classes as soon as Phase Two begins!
If you have a puppy right now, join us at our training center for drop-off puppy socials!
So mask up and head outside for now, and as soon as the dog parks reopen, I’ll see you inside…from a distance.