By Melanie Wallis
Concerns are rising over the Hudson River Park dog run, with reports of inadequate safety precautions and design faults resulting in injured dogs.
The run, located in the park’s Greenwich Village segment, by the north end of Pier 40, has been criticized for being too small, having an unsafe surface for the dogs and needing a secure fence and a shade structure. Complaints are being compiled by a local dog owners’ group, Dog Owners Action Committee.
Community Board 2’s Waterfront Committee agrees improvements on the run are needed. Don McPherson, chairperson the committee, said that a resolution was passed by the board in April, but no action to make the requested changes has been carried out as of yet by the Hudson River Park Trust, the park’s governing agency.
Among the specific complaints of Dog Owners Action Committee, owners have stated that while the type of asphalt surfacing used in the run is good for people in sneakers, it grips dogs’ paw pads, scraping their paws and causing the dogs to fall or tumble into the surrounding concrete walls. Lynn Pacifico, president of DOAC, said the injuries can also develop over time, “it may not always be acute injuries. Repetitive falls on this unforgiving surface causes long term wear and tear,” she said. DOAC asked the Trust to replace the surface with crushed granite, which is recommended as a safe surface for dogs by The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups.
The size of the run is also under fire for being too small, with a circular bench taking up too much space, in critics’ view. The inadequate use of space causes dogs running to catch balls to hurtle into the cement wall. The request is for the circular bench to be removed and replaced with six plain, standard-style park benches, leaving the center area clear. DOAC also would like to expand the run, making space to create a separate run for small dogs.
Also, the fencing around the run is too low in some dog owners’ opinion. Fears are that dogs may escape and run onto the highway. DOAC estimates fence improvements could cost up to $10,000.
Trust spokesperson Chris Martin said the C.B. 2 resolution on the run is under consideration, and that a survey is posted on the Trust’s Web site — www.hudsonriverpark.org to receive community response. Regardless of the results of the ongoing survey, Martin said they will be removing the circular bench and replacing it with seating around the inside of the edge of the run, and will raise the height of the fence. Martin said they will also put up a temporary shade structure and add a bulletin board.
No exact date has been set for completion of these improvements but Martin said it will be implemented “this season,” meaning sometime by later this summer or early fall.
However, there is no mention that work will go ahead on the resurfacing. The Trust questionnaire indicates that the change of the surface, if any, will be to plain asphalt, since “porous surfaces such as stone dust, crushed granite, wood chips or plain old dirt cannot be properly drained into the city’s sanitary sewer system.”
Pacifico disagrees, however, saying that the problem could be solved by implementing a drain system that will direct the waste elsewhere.
Pacifico started DOAC in 1999 to petition for recreational areas to run dogs off leash. Pacifico believes dog socialization may prevent dog behavioral problems and that the off-leash environment is essential for dog training.
DOAC held a meeting in the park last Wednesday at which more that 40 owners with dogs turned up in support, according to Pacifico. “People want to get involved. There is not one safe place for dogs to go along the river,” she said.
