Sunday, September 6, 2009

ST Dog Owner: "Rules are meant to be broken."


It doesn't get any more brazen that this. A young, college-age Stuyvesant Town resident, relaxing with his babe and his dog, right by the no dogs on grass sign. Faces covered to protect the guilty.

* * * *

It does appear to be a sense of entitlement, plus a heavy dose of mommy and daddy never enforcing any rules. I received the following e-mail:

I know you like dog stories, so here's one, a true one. The other day as I was walking around the Oval, I saw a dog running loose in the playground with the artificial turf. The owner, a young guy definitely in his college years, later scampered over to the fountain, in which he allowed his unleashed dog to jump. All fun and games, but I just had to find out what his thinking was. So I approached him as he was leaving the vicinity and asked:

"I'm curious as to why you have your dog unleashed and running around in the playground and also why you let your dog go into the fountain? All three are not allowed here."

He looked at me with a half-stupid smile, still exhilarated by his play time with his dog. I repeated my question. And again received no answer but that half-stupid smile. I nudged again with a question as to why he was not following the rules here regarding dogs.

Finally still smiling stupidly at me, he gave me a shrug-of-the-shoulder answer:

"My philosophy is 'Rules are meant to be broken.'"

I informed him why those specific rules are in place and requested that he be more considerate of his fellow tenants in the future, and he was off, his dog still unleashed.


* * * *

Below are a few more photos of "rules are meant to be broken" entitled dog owners:







10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see this everyday. The other day within 5 minutes I saw 1 dog doing his business on the grass near my building, as I turned the corner a man and
large dog off the leash in the back of playgroud 9 by the showers. I go out to 16th street and by 447 a young man letting his dog again doing its business on the grass. On my way home a new
group of dog owners who seem to like bull dogs leashed let loose to playing ball. Was out with my
friend sitting on the bench at dark that's when the
real fun begins. People walking the dogs thru the once great lawn. I saw more bikes riding thru the grass as a short cut. I cannot wait for the law suits when someone gets hurt and it will happen.

Anonymous said...

Not sure why it matters if dogs are on the grass as long as the owner picks up after them? Doesn't make sense to me why you people get so upset about this. Are your lives so small that you must concern yourself with such insignificant things? Oh, and I love how everyone is being dubbed as a "college student" now. Get a grip.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

So, "rules are meant to be broken," eh?

I will tell you one very good reason why dogs should not be allowed on the Oval grass, for instance. Dogs piss on the grass. Two weeks ago, I just happened to be in back of a--yes, college student and his dog as they walked through the central part of the Oval grass between the sunbathers. The dog pauses for a moment, does a squat on his hind legs, and lets out a stream of piss right there, in the midst of all the sunbathers. I just regretted not having my camera with me!

Sorry, but the dog rules here have a purpose, and dog owners have agreed to obey those rules. But, like you, a good portion don't seem to give a flying f.

Anonymous said...

Yes, dogs pee on grass. It's called life. Are you serving up your dinner directly on the grass? Sit on a blanket! Are we to ban dogs from the grass in Central Park too? If you want to live in a sterile, dog pee free environment, buy a home and move to the suburbs already. It's seriously hilarious how you live in the middle of NYC and yet you expect solitude and a lawn clean enough to eat on.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Oh, so now we should go out of our way so that dogs can piss and crap on the grass here? Dogs first, humans second.

As for living "in the middle of NYC," you may not have heard but one of the great perks of Stuy Town has always been its oasis-like features that make it a haven from typical NYC living. I guess that's not good for you, and you want to welcome all the bad things about Manhattan to ST/PCV.

Anonymous said...

I'm curious if anyone calls management regarding this anymore, and what kind of response they get. I've given up, but have definitely sensed a feeling on their part that they don't want to hear it. As far as the comment regarding living in a dog pee free environment is concerned, well there was a not too distant time when we didn't have to move to have that....it was here.

Let's all just hope that TS loses this J-51 case.

Anonymous said...

"Not sure why it matters if dogs are on the grass..."

With all due respect, rules ARE rules. You argument is weak, man. I have a dog and I would never let her do what some of these people allow their dogs to do. It would be one thing if there was no rule and people were just pissed dogs were on the grass; but the fact of the matter is there is a rule in place people just seem to blatantly break.

Anonymous said...

I find a lot of people give TS a little too hard of a time as ,much as they should give the people who break the rulesThey have rules in place; people simply fail to obide by them.
Security does a pretty good job with what they have, all things considered. Think about how many domestic disturbance/violence calls they get for every loud college student call they get- easily a 5:1 ratio.

Anonymous said...

Another Anon wrote:

Are you serving up your dinner directly on the grass?

Actually, on late Sunday and Monday afternoon there was a small group having a barbacue on the grass between 620 E 20th and 321 Av C. Called Security, never showed.

I see lots of dogs being "aired" there, too. Maybe yours?

Anonymous said...

I wouldnt sit on that grass if you paid me.. There was a time when i did. But now, dog piss, crap... not to mention the swamp like conditions this summer , we could have gone out there and had a PCVST spnosered mud fighting day!! I am sure alot of non-natives would have joined in. Or maybe we could turn the oval into a swap-zoo. I am sure alligators would love to eat dog