The Biggest Dog Park Around in a Little Town

Map of the Freeway Dog Park, located on arfarfrockaway.org

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 Skachinsky, the executive director for two years of the Allied Rockaway Foundation for Animal Recreation and Fitness (ARF-ARF), Freeway Dog Park is the biggest dog park in Queens.

“There has been no official survey, but the initial estimation of the map puts Freeway Dog Park at a little over 2.25 acres. That is not an exact guestimation,” Zina said. “The only other park near that size is the Hillside Dog Park in Brooklyn. It only states two plus acres on the website. So Freeway Dog Park is definitely the largest in Queens if not in the entire city of New York.”

ARF-ARF started in 2006 when a group of dog owners from Rockaway started looking for a place to put a dog park. However, the group was faced with a lot of opposition from the locations they suggested, such as Shore Front Parkway. Finally, they were given one section of Freeway Park, which is located along Rockaway Freeway and Beach Channel Drive. Even though the park was “underutilized mostly because it had a reputation of illicit activity,” the group figured it would be the perfect location since the park is surrounded by trains (it forms a triangle) and the residents wouldn’t hear all the barking.

This is when some of the community members formed ARF-ARF and started to look after the park. In 2008, the core member of the group left for personal reasons and there was talk about turning the park into a Transfer Station. A few group members stepped in and said they would take over the group and care for the park.

“Now the park is filled with regulars and the whole community has been built around it,” Zina said. “Even though it has a long way to go in terms of amenities, the people who go to the park feel they are safer because they know the people in their neighborhood. They are surrounding themselves with familiar faces.”

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. On Saturday, May 21 of this year, Freeway Dog Park has its 5th anniversary celebration of “My Bark Day” which is the Parks Department Partnership for Parks Day. There were about 100 people in attendance and there were just as many dogs there as people.

“Just about everyone knew each other,” Zina said. “It’s truly a rare site to see in New York City. That’s one of the many great things that I believe dog parks can do: bring people together and form a community in a huge place like New York City where nobody knows each other.”

Some people oppose dog parks, even though this is hard to believe since there are so many and they are so popular among many dog owners.These people 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. Zina says the main problem is overcrowding.

“Many of the runs in New York do not have separate sections for small dogs and large dogs to play so they are all in the same place and stepping all over each other,” Zina says. “The more crowded they are, the more tension and excitement there is and that’s the nice thing about having the size and space that we do. The dogs aren’t on top of each other. They have someplace to go. Smaller dog parks don’t have that luxury.”

Freeway Dog Park has a small part that is sectioned off for time outs or for small dogs who want to get away from larger dogs. Just because Freeway is a large dog park, doesn’t mean there are more problems there then smaller dog parks. “Size is not a disadvantage,” Zina said. “Small parks have the same complaints as large parks do. Responsibility lies with the individual owner.”

Also, only 86 dog bites out of around 4000 bites that happened this year were off-leash in a park. “That’s a pretty good ratio,” Zina said. Most of the dog bites happen on a leash or in the home. So this shows that dogs are not hurting each other in dog parks.

ARF-ARF provides a healthy resource to foster the fitness and social growth of dogs and their owners, according to Zina. The Freeway Dog Park satisfies the needs of dog owners and non-dog owners alike. ARF-ARF “acts as a Stuart of this park, developing it and improving it as a beautiful, well-maintained space open for all dog lovers and their friends who are willing to uphold the parks rules and regulations.” The organization also educates people on how to care for their pets and be responsible pet owners. Furthermore, they hold community events and their own events in the dog park which include “low-cost services and resources to people who may not have access to them otherwise.”

“Well-socialized, exercised dogs are well-behaved dogs and in turn creating a pleasant outdoor experience for everyone in the community,” Zina says.

Just like other parks, The Rockaway Freeway Dog Park has some improvements that ARF-ARF wants to make happen. Here are some items that are on the “wish list” besides water and lighting:

1. Install separate entrance in the small dog area while slightly increasing it. Also separate entrances on the west end and separate section used for agility, workshops and other activities (when it is not being used, it will be used as a separate time-out).
2. Install more benches (so people have more places to sit and enjoy the park and watching their dogs play). This is also good for those dogs who are getting bullied or chased. The benches provide a way to break up the tension and excitement. Ultimately, it would enhance user experience.
3. Install waste stations with hand sanitizer and poop bags with own separate waste containers.

It looks like there are going to be some good things coming up for the Freeway Dog Park, as well as for the dog owners and their dogs who go there to enjoy a wonderful experience, including socializing and exercising.

Watch the showcase (below) that I did on the Freeway Dog Park. And remember, don’t be afraid to show your dog the hottest place located on a small peninsula called the Rockaways: The Rockaway Freeway Dog Park!

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.

New York City Dog Poop…Problem?

A local walking his dog, peacefully.

There are about 75 million dogs owned in the United States, according to the ASPCA Pet Statistics. This means that about 63% of households have a pet running around with a toy in its mouth, craving for attention. But dogs are already getting attention. They’re not getting attention for their cute faces or pretty furs, or even their clothes or their walks; Their poop is the talk of the town. It’s not their fault though. They have to release. They’re similar to humans in that way. It’s natural. Those types of toxins can’t remain in their bodies. But companies have designed pooper-scoopers and poop bags to clean it all up (owners even use Stop-N-Shop bags), so why is it such a big deal?

In a most recent article on dog poop on CBS New York’s website, 1010 WINS talks about the “revealed poop” that has shown up in upper Manhattan as a result of the melting snow. The two upper Manhattan neighborhoods that are complaining about these conditions are Inwood and Washington Heights. The residents are sick of seeing “piles of dog feces that have overwhelmed sidewalks and streets”. According to the Department of Sanitation, Washington Heights had the most poop violations in Manhattan in 2010. Also, Inwood residents said there needs to be something done.In a November 2010 article on the New York Post website, upper Manhattan neighborhoods ranked “worst in the borough for dog droppings”.

There would be no complaints if owners picked up the poop when they walked their dogs in the first place. This is the main problem. It can be either laziness or just plain nastiness. You would think that the fines these owners know about would stop them from doing the crime, but it doesn’t seem to matter. There are fewer fines being given. That’s probably because officers can’t seem to catch the “poop criminals” in action, according to an article on the AM New York website.

Throw away the poop! Be responsible!

Let’s also consider these factors about the characteristics of dog poop and why it’s no good on the streets. Dog poop carries a lot of diseases, including heartworms, tapeworms, and corona, according to an article in DoodyCalls.com. Also, the poop doesn’t make good fertilizer and also is in the same category as oil and toxic chemicals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

There is good news in all of this though! For one, there is a dog poop campaign organized by Jay Shells, a NYC Street Artist. He hand painted “Clean Up After Your Dog” posters around New York City to hopefully change owner’s minds about the severity and advantages of cleaning the poop, according to LaughingSquid.com, a blog and web-hosting company.

Another good thing that comes out of all of this is the invention of the “Dog Poop-Powered Lantern”, according to a November 2010 article on The Village Voice Blogs’ website. An artist named Matthew Mazzotta has decided to put dog poop into good use! He converts dog poop into energy to light a lantern at the Cambridge dog park. These leaves other artists and scientists to run tests on dog poop to see what good use they can put the brown stuff to. What a great way to start off 2011!

Just remember: If your dog poops then bring out the scoops! If you don’t throw it away it might come back around someday. Avoid a fine and cover your behind. Don’t put it in a bag, just put it in a lantern!