Dog Walking Rules In Prospect
Park
Prospect Park is a dog's paradise, with wide-open
spaces to roam. We have made the Park even more dog-friendly
by designating off-leash hours and areas, and creating
the Long Meadow Dog Beach at the Pools. Off-leash hours
have been granted by a special privilege, and to preserve
this privilege we ask that you keep dogs leashed at
all other times. Dogs should not be off-leash during
off-leash hours if they are not responsive to voice
command. During regular hours and in non-off-leash
locations, please be aware that there is a $100 fine
for an unleashed dog summons.
Only dogs are allowed to swim at Dog Beach, and they
must be leashed except at off-leash hours. The Dog
Beach is located near the Long Meadow ballfields, most
easily accessible from the 9th Street entrance to the
Park. See Long Meadow, Nethermead and Peninsula pages
for directions.
Dog Walking Guidelines
NYC law requires dogs to be on a leash 6 feet or shorter at all times.
Off leash hours have been granted in Prospect Park under a special
privilege. To protect the privilege please observe the following off-leash
hours and locations, and use a leash at all other times and places.
Off-Leash Hours
April 1 to October 31
· 9 p.m.- 9 a.m.: Long Meadow, Nethermead and Peninsula
· 5 - 9 p.m. Monday through Friday only: Nethermead
November 1 to March 31
· 5 - 9 a.m.: Long Meadow, Nethermead and Peninsula
Owners must be in control of their dogs at all times.
Please dispose of dog waste properly.
Dogs are never allowed in playgrounds, on bridle paths,
or on ballfields when a game is in progress.
Do not allow dogs to dig - holes create trip hazards.
To protect wildlife habitats, dogs must always be
leashed and stay on paths in wooded areas.
At Dog Beach (see
Map), dogs must be leashed except during the
above Long Meadow off-leash hours. Caution: the water
at Dog Beach becomes deep very fast.
Fines for violating these rules start at $100.
Look for rule cards on dog walking, barbecuing and other activities at
Visitor Center at the Boathouse, Litchfield Villa or Wollman Rink,
or call (718) 965-8951.
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Get The Facts:
What’s Really in Pet Food
Plump whole chickens, choice cuts of
beef, fresh grains, and all the wholesome nutrition
your dog or cat will ever need.
These are the images pet food manufacturers
promulgate through the media and advertising. This
is what the $11 billion per year U.S. pet food industry
wants consumers to believe they are buying when they
purchase their products.
This report explores the differences between what consumers think they
are buying and what they are actually getting. It focuses in very general
terms on the most visible name brands — the pet food labels that
are mass-distributed to supermarkets and discount stores — but
there are many highly respected brands that may be guilty of the same
offenses.
What most consumers don’t know
is that the pet food industry is an extension of the
human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides
a market for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit
for human consumption,” and similar waste products
to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines,
udders, esophagi, and possibly diseased and cancerous
animal parts.
Three of the five major pet food companies
in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational
companies: Nestlé (Alpo, Fancy Feast, Friskies,
Mighty Dog, and Ralston Purina products such as Dog
Chow, ProPlan, and Purina One), Heinz (9 Lives, Amore,
Gravy Train, Kibbles-n-Bits, Nature’s Recipe),
Colgate-Palmolive (Hill’s Science Diet Pet Food).
Other leading companies include Procter & Gamble
(Eukanuba and Iams), Mars (Kal Kan, Mealtime, Pedigree,
Sheba, Waltham’s), and Nutro. From a business
standpoint, multinational companies owning pet food
manufacturing companies is an ideal relationship. The
multinationals have increased bulk-purchasing power;
those that make human food products have a captive
market in which to capitalize on their waste products,
and pet food divisions have a more reliable capital
base and, in many cases, a convenient source of ingredients.
There are hundreds of different pet
foods available in this country. And while many of
the foods on the market are similar, not all of the
pet food manufacturing companies use poor quality or
potentially dangerous ingredients.
Ingredients
Although the purchase price of pet food
does not always determine whether a pet food is good
or bad, the price is often a good indicator of quality.
It would be impossible for a company that sells a generic
brand of dog food at $9.95 for a 40-lb. bag to use
quality protein and grain in its food. The cost of
purchasing quality ingredients would be much higher
than the selling price. The protein used in pet food
comes from a variety of sources. When cattle, swine,
chickens, lambs, or other animals are slaughtered,
the choice cuts such as lean muscle tissue are trimmed
away from the carcass for human consumption. However,
about 50% of every food-producing animal does not get
used in human foods. Whatever remains of the carcass — bones,
blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, and almost all
the other parts not generally consumed by humans — is
used in pet food, animal feed, and other products.
These “other parts” are known as “by-products,” “meat-and-bone-meal,” or
similar names on pet food labels.
What Consumers Can Do
* Write or call pet food companies and
the Pet Food Institute and express your concerns about
commercial pet foods. Demand that manufacturers improve
the quality of ingredients in their products.
* Print out a copy of this report for
your veterinarian to further his or her knowledge about
commercial pet food.
* Stop buying commercial pet food. Or
if that is not possible, reduce the quantity of commercial
pet food and supplement with fresh foods. Purchase
one or more of the many books available on pet nutrition
and make your own food. Be sure that a veterinarian
or a nutritionist has checked the recipes to ensure
that they are balanced and complete.
Who to Write
AAFCO Pet Food Committee
Dr. Rodney Noel — Chair
Office of Indiana State Chemist
Purdue University
1154 Biochemistry Building
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1154
www.aafco.org
FDA — Center for Veterinary Medicine
Sharon Benz
7500 Standish Place
Rockville, MD 20855
301-594-1728
www.cvm.fda.gov/
Pet Food Institute
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
202-367-1120
Fax 202-367-2120 |
Who
better to give advice to Urban Dogs than Yuffie,
Brooklyn's incorrigible canine. She calls it as she
sees it - especially when it comes to the foibles
of human owners. Yuffie's motto: What? Let them know
how smart we dogs really are? Never one to laze around
the house more than twenty two hours a day, Yuffie
also works as a Good Dog Foundation certified therapy
dog at Park Slope's New York Methodist Hospital.
She is a member in good standing of "FIDO," a
local "Fellowship for the Interest of Dogs & Owners" Park
Slope, Brooklyn, NY.