Residents Seek Balance Between People And Dogs At Fort Greene Park

One of the most talked-about news stories out of Fort Greene Park this year focused on the apparent conflict between the park’s homeless population and some local dog owners, particularly the off-leash crowd.

Back in October, DNAInfo.com reported that some dog owners have called the police on homeless people for allegedly “threatening to kill them if their dogs get too close” and that police have investigated several incidents, but that only one case resulted in “action to fix the condition” and sometimes cops have said the dog owners “instigated” the conflict.

Since then, there hasn’t been any major dust-up, but the news coverage has sparked more conversation among some residents about what, if anything, can be done and by whom.

According to resident Dylan Simon, the issue is less about the dogs and more about the practice of letting dogs off-leash during leash-hours.

“I run every day in Fort Greene Park after 9am and lately there have been an increasing number of people with their dogs off-leash, many of them letting their dogs run right up to people,” said Simon. “I’m generally fine around dogs, but I’ve come to realize that some of them can be dangerous, either purposely chasing people or accidentally tripping them.”

Even worse, said Simon, is when some owners aren’t as courteous as most. “[Recently,] when a dog nearly tripped me at 9:30am, I politely asked the owner if they could put their dog on a leash. They said I was being selfish and that it’s no great inconvenience for me,” she said, adding that “when I pointed out that it’s the law [to keep dogs on-leash after 9am], the owner started yelling and actively encouraging the dog to bite me.

“I realize most dog owners are far more respectful, Simon added, “but we have leash laws and if you don’t agree with it, work to have it changed. The park is for the enjoyment and safety of all of us.”

Kath Hansen, founder of community nonprofit Fort Greene PUPS, agreed that “it is indeed the law that dogs be leashed at 9am, and the law is the law. If a [Parks Department] officer had been nearby, that dog owner should have been issued a ticket.”

According to the city Parks Department regulations, dogs must be on-leash between 9am and 9pm and can only be allowed off-leash between opening time and 9am, and 9pm and closing time.

Asked if Parks has any plans to change the hours or enforce them within Fort Greene Park in the future, Parks Department spokesperson Maeri Ferguson said that “PEP makes once-a-day patrols in the park, and issues summonses if dogs are off-leash between 9 am and 9pm. Additionally, off-leash signage is posted at park entrances and other locations, keeping dog-owners informed of the rules.”

Figuring out how to coexist peacefully and share the community’s limited park space will be important, said Hansen.

“We do our best with our limited resources, but the fact is that new housing is being built so fast in the area and so many new dog owners are moving in who don’t even know about PUPS, much less the off-leash laws (although there are signs at every entrance),” she said. “Nobody is creating new public park space. There are more people using the park than ever before, and. . . too many people with too few square feet of public space is going to mean problems. [We have to be] good citizens.”