OottaBahr wrote:
Quote:

wrote:

hey you old fool, where are you vacationing?

hope you're having a good time. while you are away we are removing all your signs, cutting the lock between the small and large sections of the run and smoking a lot.

parkman wrote:
I?m on vacation for the first time in a while and have been reluctant to respond to this thread for a number of reasons, not the least of which, will be the obligatory sarcastic retort from rabbit. However, a number of posts distort the behavior of run users and/or the origins and purpose of the Van Vorst Park dog run.

Before this run was built, there were no legal spaces within a public park downtown to let your pets play unleashed. This run was a compromise between those of us who were trying to provide a passive Victorian style park (which is how VVP was deeded to the city of Jersey City by the family of Van Vorst in the 1860?S) and the growing number of dog owners in our community. Off-leash use within the park was destroying the newly planted lawns (1999) and making it difficult to maintain our 19 gardens.

After a number of false starts to resolve these issues, I asked a number of pro-active dog owners to meet at my home to try and work out something that would benefit all concerned. It took a year?s worth of research, community input, city cooperation, private fundraising, and justifiably skeptical public reaction, but the VVP dog run was formally completed in May of 2007.

This run was not built to provide a space for all the dogs in downtown, but a starting point and template to be used for other public spaces within Jersey City parks. VVP is only two acres and to designate 4,000 sq. ft. for dog use only, certainly seemed equitable, when initially, no such facility was ever planned for the park.

Is the run perfect? No. The city took shortcuts from the original design for the drainage (which still pisses me off) but I think you still have one of the most attractive places to exercise your pets, surrounded by roses, lavender, and other foliage, donated and maintained by a non dog owner just trying to make this park useful for as many people in the community as possible.

As far as the complaints about dog walkers in the run, I can tell you that the three, who frequent the run most, are very responsible when it comes to keeping on eye on their charges. Two of them frequently help maintain the surface of the run by responding to the request posted, by raking and shoveling and knowing that this run is community maintained. All three have donated money (and should), to help provide waste bags to others who do not do so. One walker sometimes does bring more than 3 dogs in at a time and should not do so. One smokes (I think it should be banned in the run and children?s areas) and if there was an ordinance against it, I would certainly find a space for another sign. But I can unequivocally say that all three clean up after their client?s pets, are not on cell phones and thereby miss what deposits are being left, they respond to barking from these pets, and are very protective of your dogs and theirs.

It seems this thread started from a misunderstanding or someone just having a bad day; perhaps all should be happy to have at least one place (with hopefully more to come) to let your pets have a space to run off leash and you to socialize with your neighbors.

See you next week,

parkman

Vigilante wrote:
Yes, plenty of room for you and Jenny and maybe your dogs. I commend Parkman but that run is waaaay too small. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. If you wanna exercise your dog in JC the best places are LSP, Lincoln Pk or HP if it ever reopens.

jennymayla wrote:
good. so don't go. more room for us. yay!

SamS wrote:
I've been to the VVP dog run on many occasions over the last two and half years, almost always on the weekends when you would think it would be the most crowded.

My observations are the size of the dog run is most certainly adequate and the dogs in there (and I have never seen more than 7 dogs in there at once) have plenty of room to run until their hearts are content.

Any claim that's it's not adequate in size or any other metric is disingenuous and bratty.


Quote:

Vigilante wrote:
The real question is, is that really a dog-run? It's like 50 square feet. It's a dog-standaround really.

tern wrote:
There is a small dog-run behind BJ's in the extreme South-East corner of the car park, next to the light rail tracks. Second Street and Warren Street, somewhere around there.

Not many people seem to know about it.

Robin.

Vigilante wrote:
The real question is, is that really a dog-run? It's like 50 square feet. It's a dog-standaround really.

Vigilante wrote:
The real question is, is that really a dog-run? It's like 50 square feet. It's a dog-standaround really.

Vigilante wrote:
The real question is, is that really a dog-run? It's like 50 square feet. It's a dog-standaround really.

SamS wrote:
I really wish there were a NO SMOKING RULE in the dog run.

chiefdahill wrote:
Not to throw gas on the fire but I heard that she asked you to wait a minute while she washed the grime of one of the dogs and that they were in the entrance gate for less than 1 minute. You didn't feel like waiting and proceeded to open the gate anyway which could have allowed those dogs inside to run out into the park or even worse the street. That is when she corrected you.

This particular dog walker is a great person who helps maintain the dog run and I take her word over a 1st time poster that signs into jclist just to bash someone's reputation.

I think we need two sides of the story here.

JCbiscuit wrote:
somebody who walks dogs for a living had the nerve to be condescending? that takes balls.

WOW, you all must have way too much time on your hands to get on here and post about other people and your problems with them. Why not be an adult and talk it out in person. That is whats wrong with assholes on the East coast...A bunch of loud mouths!

Fleurdelys wrote: I am sure she is an AMAZING person, I am also an AMAZING person to people that know me.