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Battery Park Dogs Must Stay Leashed for Now, Parks Dept Says

By Julie Shapiro | November 3, 2010 1:04pm | Updated on November 3, 2010 1:14pm
The current rules require dogs to remain on-leash in Battery Park at all times.
The current rules require dogs to remain on-leash in Battery Park at all times.
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Flickr/Adam Comerford

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

FINANCIAL DISTRICT — Dogs won’t be running free in Battery Park anytime soon.

Downtown dog owners were hoping the city would grant a trial period allowing dogs to go off-leash on Battery Park’s main lawn in early mornings starting Nov. 1.

But at a closed-door meeting with dog owners last week, Manhattan Parks Commissioner Bill Castro declined the request, saying more discussions were needed, according to two people who attended the meeting.

Castro did not rule out the possibility of a trial period in the future, and he also suggested a dog run in or near Battery Park as a compromise, said Cathy Yee, a member of the Downtown Dog Owners Association who attended the meeting.

Cathy Yee and her dog Piper now have to find other places to run around.
Cathy Yee and her dog Piper now have to find other places to run around.
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Downtown Dog Owners Association

But a dog run is unlikely to satisfy the 800 people who signed a petition asking for the six-month off-leash trial period, said Yee, a Financial District resident. Dog runs don’t have a natural surface and they are too small to give dogs enough exercise, she said.

"Having a dog run is not a substitute for an off-leash park," said Yee, who has a lab mix named Piper. "A dog run is like taking a dog from one apartment to another apartment."

The Parks Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For more than 20 years, the Battery Park lawn was a popular early-morning place for dogs to frolic. But the Parks Department started issuing $150 tickets this summer, enforcing a leash policy that had long been ignored.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron organized last Friday’s meeting to bring all the parties to the table for the first time. They will meet again on Dec. 13, after Community Board 1 has weighed in later this month.

"Hopefully we can agree on something that will make everyone happy," Yee said.