Talking To Animals resumes this afternoon, Wednesday, one to 2:30 p.m. on WBTNAm1370. You can live stream the show here, or you can call 866-406-9286 or 802 442-9286. I’ll also discuss your questions of e-mailed to [email protected], tonight, tomorrow or during the show. I hope to hear from you, one way or the other.)
Every morning, just after 8 a.m., my daughter Emma takes her 10-month old mixed breed dog Sandy to the wide and open grasslands of Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, where dogs are permitted to run off leash for two hours each morning.
When I lived in New York, and ever since, I’ve heard horror stories about New York City dog play groups, said to be filled with neurotic and irresponsible dog owners, out of control and aggressive dogs and eccentric and wildly permissive dog lovers.
Fort Green park shattered that stereotype for me. The park is gorgeous, there is plenty of room for the dogs to run, this morning there were 50 or 60 dogs in the park (Emma’s dog Sandy is on the left of the above photo.)
The potential for mayhem seemed strong to me, but the dogs were well-behaved, the owners vigilant and conscientious, and the dogs played and ran with one another, chased balls ran in circles around each other until their dogs hung out, and then they went home.
The dogs were clean, well-groomed, well-trained and well-behaved with one another.
The space was beautiful and vast. The dogs had plenty of room to run. The people who wanted to play in a crowd of dogs gathered in one part of the park, the people who wanted a more quiet dog experience had plenty of room.
I appreciated the way people watched their dogs – there were ball stealers and dogs that got too aroused, people stepped in and got their dogs to behave.
Sandy got a 30 minute workout, he was panting at the end and went home.
It is remarkable to see how dogs can adapt to new environments, just a few months ago Sandy was running wild and in trouble in Kentucky, now she goes to a bit city park every morning, chases balls and plays. She hit the jackpot.
Emma has a one-word command- “back”‘- and when she uses it, Sandy comes racing back from wherever she is.
Given the chance, dogs will adapt to almost anything. I enjoyed these early morning walks, Emma loves that dog dearly and has done a great job training here. It was fascinating to see how dog loves in New York manage to find a way to give their dogs full and healthy lives.
It was once considered in appropriate to have a dog in New York City, few apartments allowed them. That has changed, dogs have moved into the center of people’s lives there. These dogs looked great – great coats, healthy and fit.