Nosy Neighbor: Are dogs allowed in Liberty Park?

Two “Concerned Dog Parents” wrote with this report: “We live in southern Tribeca and were walking our ‘perfect’ dog through the WTC area, as we do regularly. Understanding that dogs are not allowed near the pools or memorials, we asked a security guard if we could walk up the steps and through the park surrounding the St. Nicholas construction site. He said that as long as they were on leash, dogs were allowed. We were immediately chased after by a woman brandishing a rolled newspaper. She then – quite comically – physically prevented us from stopping until we were back in the street. What’s the deal?”

This was a surprise to me, since Liberty Park seems like a perfectly acceptable place to walk a leashed dog. But it turns out while the park is not by definition part of the memorial grounds at the World Trade Center, the same no-dogs-allowed rule applies.

These are the rules for the Memorial plaza:
XIX. Animals & Pets Access 
Animals and pets are not allowed on, or inside, 9/11 Memorial & Museum Property, except for service animals.

“9/11 Memorial & Museum Property” refers to all of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s facilities including the Memorial, Memorial Museum, any remote leased storage facilities, and any structures and objects contained therein.

And the response from the Port Authority’s spokeswoman on Liberty Park specifically noted there are signs, shown below, posted on each end of the park, and the fine print prohibits animals. Seems needlessly restrictive, but I guess the rules are the rules?

 

34 Comments

  1. Sounds like that miserable hag had nothing better to do with her time.

  2. No. You cannot bring dogs into that area. There will soon be large signs posted in that area and in many prohibited parks around the city. I have also been told that the police have been told to start providing citations and fines for this and for dogs in restaurants. Apparently, many restaurants are now receiving B grades from the health department due to customer complaints about dogs and it has gotten the attention of some local pols who are pressuring police to crack down.

    • It’s about time. People wrongly (and in my opinion selfishly) think the right to bring service animals into restaurants and food stores means they can bring their mere pets in. It’s gross.

      • What’s gross about it?

        • NY Post
          “Dogs are slobbering all over NYC’s restaurants, and diners are pissed”
          By Doree Lewak
          March 5, 2019

          “[…] doggy dining is driving some people barking mad. Restaurateurs say the wobbly balancing act between federal Americans With Disabilities Act rules and city Department of Health regulations have allowed a wave of non-service dogs to dine with impunity.

          “In June, the NYC Commission of Human Rights issued a new set of legal guidelines regarding people with disabilities. Among other things, it reminds restaurants that they are forbidden to demand proof of either a person’s disability or an animal’s use as a service companion. So, while hosts at Del Frisco’s and Morton’s say that only service dogs are permitted, they rely on customers’ honesty.

          “Henry Roberts, co-owner of Tribeca’s Two Hands, says he’s been seeing a lot more hungry hounds in his restaurant since the announcement.

          ” “There’s really no way of policing this,” he tells The Post, as he eyes one dog at a table. “Now, people walk in with dogs of every shape and size. There’s nothing we can do — it’s a free-for-all.” […]

          “But some diners are less than thrilled.

          ” “It’s gross,” says Danit Sibovits, an Upper West Side lawyer. “I don’t want dog hair or slobber near my food.”

          “Unfortunately for her, restaurant workers feel powerless to stop the canine takeover. […]

          ” “No one wants to piss anyone off because they’ll go on Yelp to complain they won’t let you in with their service dog — or so-called service dog,” Hall tells The Post. “I think it happens in some neighborhoods more than others. The Upper West Side is a magnet for people who feel entitled to bring their pets or screaming children. And maybe Tribeca is the same.”

          “It’s true in the Meatpacking District, where Christopher Lee, who manages a restaurant he declined to name, is fed up with furry diners.

          ” “It’s a restaurant,” he says. “You shouldn’t have a dog at a dinner table, but these days, you have a lot of people who get their dog certified as a service animal just to bring their dogs with them.”

          “Last week, Lee says, a customer hauled in her huge dog, promising he’d lie still. Even so, he says, “everyone kept tripping over this 100-pound dog.” Nor does size matter: Lee recalls another woman’s Maltese, who barked every time the owner took a bite — over the course of a two-hour meal.

          ” “I had to give customers free champagne just to calm them down,” he says. “They’re paying a few hundred for a meal. You don’t want a dog yapping on top of you.” […]

          “Back at Two Hands, Roberts is bracing for a snowball effect. “At a certain point, if everyone brings their dog in it could get a little crazy, and become a health thing if there’s animals everywhere.

          ” “Who knows what’s next?” he says. “They’ll say, ‘What about cats? That’s not fair!’ It’s a slippery slope. I wouldn’t put it past these millennial kids.” ”

          https://nypost.com/2019/03/05/dogs-are-slobbering-all-over-nycs-restaurants-and-diners-are-pissed/amp/

          • A NY Post investigative report!! An exhaustively thorough and non-cherry picked account of the dog slobbering restaurant epidemic! Case closed. Nice work, James.

            You could replace the word dog with young child (with stroller) and probably find similar and many many more complaints.

          • Are you suggesting the Health Code be revised to ban children from restaurants? That platform could win you Margaret Chin’s Council seat! ;-)

  3. Is it just dogs allowed or can I bring my service horse in?

  4. Yes, good idea! Let’s ban children and Margaret Chin from restaurants.

  5. Maybe the Dogs can put on a Diaper and pants before going in. That’s the only “gross” thing I can see about them being there. Because let’s admit that no living creature smells fresh after a visit to the Loo with no Bidet. But in all seriousness it could be a health code issue. They don’t use TP, they step in it, they shed a little more than we do, and their cute little noses have been places. Not that some humans aren’t doing similar things (the soles of our shoes alone are disgusting) but how far can they go with policing things? If they really focused on what is entering restaurants there would be barely any customers at all.

  6. Recently, I had to scream at a woman in WholeFoods whose dog was licking all the packaged meat.

    Then I witnessed (and protested) the very same thing in Trader Joe’s.

    These people have pushed it too far, have taken advantage. One can get a “service animal” certificate on Google for $40 now.

  7. I would have punched the newspaper-wielding woman in the face or at least started filming her for YouTube. So sick of these private citizens who think they have the authority to do things like this. I had a runner tell me to get out of the way bc my dog was walking in front of her. I told her to go f*ck off and run on a treadmill.

    In all seriousness, I think the problem is “fake service dogs”. I’m pretty sure true service dogs are trained not to lick food and stuff and grocery stores.

    Also, why is Battery Park/Tribeca so strict about no dogs on grass??? We are moving by Central Park!

  8. Real service dogs: YES. Emotional support animals: NO.

    Real service dogs (such as guide dogs for the blind) have been thoroughly trained, and you will never see one put its paws on the seat, or lick the bins at the grocery store, and you will never hear one bark.

    Another word for emotional support animal is “pet.” All pets provide emotional support, but that doesn’t mean they need to accompany you everywhere.

    A pet walks on the sidewalk, steps in shit, carries all kinds of germs on its paws. Then it puts its paws on the seat. Later you, or your small child, unknowingly sits in the residue. Afterward the child scratches his ass, or wipes his nose, and soon both of you are sick, and you don’t know how it happened.

    No, not rare instances. This is how disease gets spread. Leave the so-called support animals at home. The legislature needs to fix the laws to require proper licenses, protect the general public, and keep these frauds out.

  9. S. is correct about hygiene and distinction between “Real service dogs” and “Emotional support animals.” Hopefully I am correct and everyone reading this agrees . . . to say nothing about the necessity for vaccinations. Of course there’s always an outlier somewhere, just hopefully not here.

    • Selfish people are creating big problems for those that really need service and emotional stability dogs. If you cannot be without your pet and need to bring it into a store or onto a plane, but you do not have real problems that require emotional stability, then you are selfish and pathetic.

  10. Wow, such an amazing post.

  11. I think I met the hag. The wicked witch of the west (Street). “I’ll get you and your little dog too”

  12. Sadly, I made the encounter of that wicked witch (hag) of the west today; although I actually have a service animal because I’m visually and mobility impaired. She not only went after my service animal, but she also went after my disability. My disability that I incurred during my service impeded her liberty, according to her. She didn’t leave me alone; she followed me. I get harassed constantly for being disabled but man some of the words this woman said were hurtful. I don’t advertise that I’m disabled and that I need additional help that my service dog provides. He’s not a pet; he works day in and day out. He also doesn’t go into restaurants with me if I can help it; only on the absolute rare occasion when I don’t have the luxury of having someone else’s help. I hate that people are taking advantage of service dogs; mine has and continuously goes through extensive training and he gets a bad rep because of people that just want their pooch with them. I need mine for help. That woman was hurtful and mean.

  13. This woman lives in my building and hounds every dog owner she crosses paths with. She’s a well known nuisance that has led to more than a few conversations with other residents about her being a deciding factor in moving to another building.

    For instance, during a pretty nasty snow storm today, she was out in full force harassing dog owners. She was literally shoveling snow at the dogs (why she is shoveling, no one knows) and verbally accosting their owners, all without wearing a mask — which she is a regular scofflaw about within the building in violation of the both the city and building guidelines.

    A note about the signage in Liberty Park: At least the last time I checked (and maybe this is still the case), the only steel slab listing the park and memorial commandments in Liberty Park is located next to the stairway that has been blocked off since the park opened due to the construction of the church (which just restarted) and is only accessible after you are well inside the park from the other entry points. I think this has led to a lot of the confusion, but in no way makes her behavior acceptable.

  14. NO DOGS, ALLOWED!

  15. If you’re so concerned about the rules/law, why don’t you wear a mask? It’s the law. You’re hounding people, stalking people, and yelling at them without a mask on. There is a pandemic!

    Stop harassing people, we have a right to live in Battery Park free from harassment and threats to our safety.

  16. She is evil, I have had many encounters. Most recent was last week. There are videos all over about her. Here is one from IG. She is also a racist, and called the unleashed dog into the street.

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQ6UpT9DXRk/?utm_medium=copy_link

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