‘Entitled' NYC pet owners turn kiddie ballfield into illicit poop-filled dog park

New York Post

a day ago

This one's foul territory.
'Entitled' pet owners have taken over a popular Brooklyn ballfield — forcing some Little League teams to flee the site amid the leftover slippery dog waste and dangerous holes dug by off-leash pooches.
The 3-acre Green Central Knoll park, which sits on the border of trendy Bushwick and Williamsburg, has been attracting dozens of dog owners for the past few years because of the massive size of its athletic field, locals told The Post.
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6 Three dogs make themselves at home with their owners at a Brooklyn ballfield that's supposed to be off-limits to them.
The canines' owners have been dogged in their illicit use of the space — despite posted 'no pets' signs and fines frequently issued to them by city Parks Department officers.
While the sports field was supposed to be locked up when it hadn't been in use by permitted leagues, the pet owners 'abused the fields for off-leash dog play, and waste was being left behind' during a brief period when fences were left open during construction, a Parks rep said.
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Hoards of pet owners — some hailing from the area's new luxury developments with private dog runs — took that a signal of fair game and now descend on the field daily to use as an unauthorized dog run by climbing through a fence that is ripped and still open.
'We still hear from our park manager on a somewhat regular basis that they literally have to replace locks and fences that get cut because there are folks that feel entitled to use that space for their dogs, even though it's abundantly clear that that is not what that space is for,' said Bushwick Community Board 4 District Manager Celeste Leon to The Post.
6 'The dogs dig really big holes in the floor,' a young ball player said, noting he's come 'close' to injury multiple times.
6 Scofflaw pet owners enter with their pooches through a ripped fence.
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Other locals have raised concerns about the off-leash pets posing a threat after two children, including a young baseball player, were bitten this spring at nearby parks.
The community-board manager noted complaints of pet owners harassing Parks staff, too, as well as reports of ringworm and kids slipping in waste and twisting ankles from holes.
'The dogs dig really big holes in the floor,' a young ball player said, noting he's come 'close' to injury, too, multiple times.
6 A French Bulldog strolls through a shaded seating area at Green Central Knoll in Bushwick.
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Pooches must be leashed at city parks unless during specified off-leash hours, according to the city's website.
At the dog-free athletic field, the scores of loose pooches could result in owner fines of up to $150 a pop – but for some pet owners, it's a small price to pay for coveted green space.
'There's nowhere for them to go without walking half an hour,' argued a 34-year-old dog owner who only gave her first name, Rachel.
She was fined for $150 in February – and continues to frequent the park.
6 The 'No Pets' sign above the park's athletic field is routinely ignored.
N.Y.Post/Nicole Rosenthal
'You come here because there's no other place to go,' she said.
The closest dog run in the neighborhood is a 20-minute walk to Maria Hernandez Park, which The Post previously reported has been riddled with issues such as flooding, scattered rat poison and dangerous barbed grass.
'It sucks,' said 33-year-old resident Ben Lee, who has been fined $100 from Parks, of the Hernandez Park run. 'It's gravel, a lot of people bring dogs that are not super friendly.
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'This is the only patch of grass in the area,' Lee said of the ballfield.
A 38-year-old resident named Alex said, 'The dog parks are pretty underwhelming at most places, and they're very small.
'It can be a stressful space for them or a dangerous place.
'Many of the dog owners, during what would be off-leash hours in Prospect Park and Central Park, [treat] before 9 a.m. as off-leash,' Alex said. 'So we kind of stick to that — or try to, at least.'
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6 Some youth teams have been forced to find alternative sites to avoid slippery dog waste and dangerous holes dug by off-leash pooches, local community-board manager Celeste Leon told The Post.
Pointing to the incident of a child bit by a pit bull at Thomas Boyland Park, he said, 'People that come here are usually very responsible.
'Those aren't the type of people that come here.'
Dog owner Jasmine Hinds insisted, 'The bigger dogs, they like to catch the balls, but they're not violent.'
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A rep for City Councilwoman Jen Gutierrez said local officials are now in 'active' talks with Parks about either creating a dedicated dog run within Green Central Knoll or 'strengthening the turf to better withstand use.'
But a source familiar with the matter said it could take years and millions of taxpayer dollars to make that happen – and there's a chance new neighbors still won't use a separate dog run there.
'Probably not,' said a dog owner, a 31-year-old woman who just gave her first initial, M, on whether she would use a sectioned-off dog run in the park.
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'It would have to be this size: the size of this space,' she said.
Alex added, 'There's gonna be a lot more dog owners in coming years.
'Rather than pretend that they can be on-leash 24/7, maybe welcome them into the fabric of the city.'