Dog Park Clears a Hurdle . . . One More to Go

Last night, the Common Council Public Works and Parks Committee--Eileen Halloran, Dominic Merante, Rich Volo, and Shershah Mizan--voted unanimously to move the resolution authorizing the development of the dog park to the full Council. The resolution will be introduced at the informal meeting of the Common Council on Monday, August 12, and voted on at the Council's regular meeting on Tuesday, August 20.

At the meeting, Rob Perry, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, provided a sheaf of documents--communications with the Department of Environmental Conservation going as far back as 1999--identifying the nature of the contamination on the site and confirming that the remediated site can only to used for passive recreation--one example of which is a dog park.

There were questions about such things as the hours for the dog park (dawn to dusk), liability (owners are responsible for the behavior of their dogs, as they are anywhere else in the city), and maintenance (DPW will mow the grass, as they are doing now, and carry away the trash). Annabel Taylor, who spoke for the dog park committee, also presented the proposed rules for the dog park, which are basically the following eight: 

1. Park is open from dawn to dusk.
2. Use at your own risk.
3. Dog owners must immediately clean up after their dogs.
4. Dogs must display a valid license and have proof of up-to-date rabies vaccinations.
5. Dogs must be removed from the dog park at the first sign of aggression toward a human or another dog.
6. No food, dog treats, alcoholic beverages, or smoking are allowed in the dog park.
7. Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Children are not allowed to chase or taunt dogs.
8. People unaccompanied by dogs are not permitted in the dog park.

Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward), who attended the meeting, asked about plans to deal with aggressive dogs. The dog park committee explained there had already been one workshop on dog park etiquette presented by dog behaviorist Jennifer James, aimed primarily at recognizing signs of trouble and taking steps to avoid it, and more such workshops are being planned. Members of the dog park committee with experience at other dog parks noted that regular users of dog parks become adept at recognizing problem dogs and keeping their dogs out of bad situations.

In anticipation of the Council passing the resolution in August to authorize the development of the dog park, a new Facebook group has been created for dog owners looking forward to taking their pups to the park: Hudson Dog Park. Click here to access the page and join the group.
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