Freeway Dog Park in Rockaway

Dogs playing at Freeway Dog Park

Dogs parks are a huge part of New York City. There are over 100 of them in the five boroughs alone. Owners take their dogs there to socialize and hopefully get a little exercise. Do you know the biggest dog park in NYC? Nobody does, but there is one dog park that could definitely be the biggest doggies park there is: The Freeway Dog Park!

The Freeway Dog Park is located in Rockaway Beach, NY. According to Zina, the executive director of the Allied Rockaway Foundation for Animal Recreation and Fitness (ARF-ARF), Freeway Dog Park might be the biggest dog park in NYC. It’s estimated to be 2.25 acres.

“We are still looking into getting a more accurate measurement, but we have not seen as big a dog park in Queens,” Zina said. “The only other official dog park in New York City that is close to that size is Hillside Dog Park in Brooklyn, so we are one of if not the biggest in all of NYC.”

If you go to the website, there are tons of photos of the dogs who frequently visit the dog park with their owners. There are also many tabs such as the calendar of events, a virtual tour of the park, news and email.

The website explains the functions of the dog park and why the organization is. According to the website, “We are an organization with a focus in serving the common needs of the very large number of dogs and their loving companions in Rockaway, NY,” It further reads. “Our ultimate goal is to become an invaluable resource for all the pet owners in the Rockaway and to continue to work for more leashed and off leash recreation for dogs and their owners and to make people (including non dog owners) aware that social dogs who receive plenty of exercise are well-behaved dogs.”

Awareness is key for Freeway Dog Park. Many people don’t even know that the space is for dogs. It’s located directly on the Rockaway Freeway, so why do many people continue miss it? It could be location and people usually don’t pay attention to their surroundings. Or maybe they just don’t care because they don’t have dogs. Whatever the reason is, this dog park needs to be known. The owners are friendly and can help other newcomers to understand the other dogs and how they act. It’s like they have their own little community. Everybody basically knows everybody.

Don’t miss out on the showcase that I will create in the next few days! But for now, listen to my little one minute blurb on the Freeway Dog Park and how other people view parks like this one.

Dogs like to RUFF-RUFF in ARF-ARF Rockaway

Honey and another pit-bull at ARF-ARF Rockaway Dog Park

I would like my showcase to be about the ARF-ARF Freeway Dog park in Rockaway Beach, NY. I have been interested in the topics of dogs and their surroundings ever since I got Honey. Honey is my two-year old pit-bull. I first took her to the dog park around a year ago. She appeared to like it even though she is still shy and nervous around other dogs. I recently read up about behavior dogs should and should not display in dog parks and which parks are best for which dogs. I realized that Honey does not like dogs that are larger or taller than her; She sees them as a threat. This is an issue when I take her because I want her to have fun and I don’t want her to be in a dog fight.

Honey’s behavior made me want to read up about behavior like hers and other dogs in off-leash dog parks. I also read about the owners of the dogs and how they play a big part in how the dogs interact at the park. Some agree that dogs should be taken to the dog park and that the parks are beneficial because it is a lot of exercise for dogs and it maintains dog social skills. Others oppose dog parks. They say that loose dog packs form and there might be conflict in the park deciding which dog gets which position, or the owners might not be paying attention to their dogs which creates potential danger, and also the dog might not be socialized enough to be around so many other dogs. There is also concern that dog parks that are too big might create dominant behavior.

ARF-ARF stands for Allied Rockaway Foundation for Animal Recreation and Fitness and it’s Freeway Dog Park is estimated to be the biggest dog park in Queens. It might just be the biggest in all of NYC! The estimation of the size of the park is approximately 2.25 acres. I set up an interview with Zina from ARF-ARF and plan for her to be the center of my story, along with information from other organizations. It would be really interesting if ARF-ARF is the biggest dog park in Queens, let alone in NYC. I want to find out more information on how the owners feel about other owners, their dogs and the size of the park since the size is relevant to how dogs interact with each other. I also am going to include the advantages and disadvantages or dog parks in general and then break it down to the size of the park and why it’s good or bad.