More Biased Reporting

CBS News aired a report on the current proposal to amend the leash laws. I found it very disturbing that the editors decided to change the printed report, omitting a key comment from a dog owner.

On the WCBSTV website, in the article entitled "NYC Dog Fight: To Leash Or Not To Leash? Barking & Growling Begins On Both Sides Of Issue" (Magee Hickey Reporting) is the following:

Sophie, a 14-year-old dog, wouldn't be alive today if she didn't have her nightly run in Central Park, her owner, Virginia Hoffman, said.


"It wouldn't be healthy for her. Dog runs are crowded," said Hoffman.

However, the actual, videotaped comment by Virginia Hoffman was:

"It wouldn't be a healthy life for her. Dogs need to run, they need to run and the dog runs are crowded and dangerous. They're just too small. And, um, they need to enjoy the environment, if they are well trained."

Who in the Department of Parks is going to determine which dogs entering the parks are well trained enough to be unleashed?

You can read the story and watch the video here:

-NYC Dog Fight: To Leash Or Not To Leash?-

In addition, off-leash advocates keep saying that it has been a 20 year unofficial policy. I challenge anyone to find documentation that says the Department of Parks and Recreation began this unofficial policy in 1986. By using the word "unofficial" it pretty much makes it impossible to determine whether or not this policy began in 1998 or 1978. If you'd like to do some detective work, try to search for the first reference to a 20 year policy. The policy actually started in Prospect Park in 1998 and I have the letters to prove it. I will begin posting them shortly.