"A controversy in a Queens Park has the New York dog world barking. Should off-leash hours in parks be curbed citywide?"
"a. Yes, dogs should be leashed at all times in city parks."
"b. No, it's vital for dogs to have some time to run wild."
AM-NY just asked a question that was simple and to the point:
"Should dogs always be on leashes in city parks?"
Here is an article regarding the results.
"Poll: Overwhelming majority of city residents want dogs leashed
12/4/2006 7:19:00 AM
The daily weekday newspaper, AM NY, conducted a poll of New York City residents from Friday, December 1st to Sunday December 3rd. The question came on the heels of the court ruling granting the Parks Commissioner the authority to designate off-leash areas outside of dog runs, and just before the Department of Health rules on whether or not to allow the Parks Commissioner to relax the leash law in city parks. The current health code states that dogs must be leashed in all public areas which include city parks.
The result of the poll comes as no surprise to the Juniper Park Civic Association. For months, the off-leash crowd has been ridiculously suggesting that JPCA is a small group of dog haters because we do not want to see dogs run loose in city parks. However, this poll proves that there are a lot more people out there that feel the same way, and we are sure the vast majority of them harbor no hatred toward dogs. They are just concerned with the safety of people.
More than 1700 votes were cast, and out of those, more than 1500 people voted "yes" while just over 200 voted "no" to the question of, "Should dogs always be on leashes in city parks?"
Will NYC Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden and company cater to the off-leash fringe and vote in opposition to the majority of New York City residents that they are sworn to protect? Tune in tomorrow, when the Board of Health makes its vote on the matter.
