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Both sides bark in off-leash dog fight

By Lauren Johnston | amNY.com STAFF WRITER

7:44 PM EST, November 1, 2006

The latest round in the battle over off-leash dog hours got rowdy in a public hearing Wednesday when one foe of free pups said, "Dogs are simply property."

Those were dirty words to dog owners that sparked boos and hisses as opposing sides faced off before the Board of Health.

Wednesday's hearing marked the public's last chance to sound off on a proposed amendment to the city health code, which mandates that dogs be on a leash no longer than 6 feet long in public spaces.

The amendment would allow off-leash hours in designated areas from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., as has become common practice during the past 20 years in parks that do not have dog runs. Opponents say loose dogs are a danger while supporters say off-leash hours help keep dogs healthy.

The man who called dogs property, Robert Doocey of Middle Village, incited fresh barks when he said an amendment would be an act of "criminal negligence."

Big players from both camps showed up and each speaker got five minutes to address four board members, including Health Commissioner Thomas Friedan.

The hearing lasted nearly four hours and of 40 speakers, an overwhelming majority endorsed an amendment.

An explosion of both cheers and boos from the 70 or so people present nearly drowned out former Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern when he said he'd started the "courtesy hours" in the 1980s in response to requests from dog owners.

Robert Mariano of the advocacy group NYCDog came armed with bite statistics and anecdotes of the positive effects of off-leash playtime for the city's 1.4 million dogs.

In 2005, there were about 4,000 dog bites, of which 86 about 2 % -- occurred in city parks, according to parks department statistics.

Robert Holden, head of the Juniper Park Civic Association, which sued the city over the off-leash hours, showed poster-size photos of loose dogs romping through flowerbeds and running in packs.

"How much more evidence do we need before we realize this is lunacy?" he said.

The board will vote on the amendment on Dec. 5, around the same time a ruling is expected in the Queens suit that initially stoked the fight.

If the suit goes in favor of the civic association and the health code is not amended, off-leash hours would be outlawed. If the board votes to amend the health code, the dogs would get their off-leash hours no matter what.

"I hope they do vote to preserve the off-leash," said Stephanie Rinza, 41, who takes her four rescue dogs to run in Central Park each morning.

"I wouldn't be able to keep my dogs otherwise," she said.

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