july 7th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, and idea who’s time has come for Ridgewood ? A lot of resident dog walkers think so .Anne LaGrange Loving said on Facebook the , “Twice I asked the former mayor whether the council might consider changing the ordinance that prohibits dogs from being in our parks. In conjunction with that, I suggested that “poopie bags” could be provided at each park.
Loving goes on to say ,”It is my observation that the garbage in our parks comes from careless humans – soda cans, water bottles, etc. Most dog owners I know are very careful about picking up after their pets. Of course there are some exceptions, just as there are some people who litter. The fact is that dogs are brought to parks all the time in Ridgewood in spite of the law – as they should be! So why not rescind this ordinance and at the same time provide these bags. I had even suggested a trial run on this – see how it goes. If the parks become filled with dog waste, well then the experiment is considered a failure and we can go back to prohibiting dogs. But it is worth a try.”
Saurabh Dani suggests that there could be certain instances when dogs would have to be prohibited, such as during the fireworks. But overall Loving asks ,”why can’t Paul Smith or Susanne Ziskis or Anne LaGrange Loving sit in the park with their dogs and enjoy a cup of coffee or a chat with a friend? It will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the former mayor that my suggestion, which I posed twice at public meetings, was met with dead silence. His style was to never answer questions from members of the public. Thankfully we now have a new mayor and new council members and we are all so happy that open dialog on matters small (like this one) and great (like HDH, Valley, parking, etc) will be the norm between elected officials and the public.”
It’s not just about the poop. Unfortunately, many dog owners are not considerate of others, some of us are allergic, some of us are scared, some of us have been bit and attacked in the past. Long leashes, unleashed dogs and careless owners are the reason dogs don’t belong in the parks or at public events. Too many owners allow their dogs to approach strangers, jump up, bark and otherwise exhibit anti social behavior. If I allowed my child to run at you, jump on you and run across your picnic blanket you would not be happy. Too often the owners say “Oh he’s friendly, don’t worry” – yeah that doesn’t cut it since I have been bit 2 times – each time the fault of a careless dog owner.
I realize some people believe that dogs should be treated like people, but they aren’t, they are animals!
The dog rule was a result of poop on playing fields and people who ran unleashed dogs. I don’t think children should play on unsanitary fields and unleashed dogs are concerning.
I am so sick of this woman. If she wants to run the town then she should officially run for something and get elected.
NO to dogs in the parks, go for a walk with your dog on the bike path there are plenty of benches the way.
I wholeheartedly agree with a trial run allowing dogs in Ridgewood parks. The Village collects for dogs and cats to live here so why cant they enjoy our public parks?
11:13am. Okay Gwenn.
Children play in these parks, should they play in dog waste?
I love dogs more than people. And I say no. I agree with 10:17 a.m.
We have eliminated large swaths of wooded areas. When I was a kid, about 100 years ago, my dog ran free with me. Didn’t bother anyone. Now with our limited parks, they should be saved for walkers and kids playing games, etc. But maybe we could have one park for dogs and their owners. Not all of them.
But really let’s save the parks for walkers and runners who want to exercise without stress and enjoy the parks without worry about dogs approaching them.
I mean even crossing a street is stressful now with all the traffic and the way people drive. . It is imperative to keep the parks dog free. Dogs do run up to strangers, or walk up to sniff and it is stressful. Parks are for people to enjoy. People need some place to walk without worry about cars or dogs.
I love it when I have the opportunity to babysit a family dog; I even feel sorry that the dog can’t run and explore in a park; but people come first. Again, maybe one park. Maybe not.
I think they should add a dog park to the massive parking garage… win-win-win (ha)
its not a bad idea, but unfortunately there are too many selfish inconsiderate people living in RW now-a-days. if they own dogs, then this idea is doomed.
Good idea, long overdue. Works well in many, many towns. Why not Ridgewood too?
But my god is Anne Loving insufferable! She makes every issue about herself and how no one listens to her great ideas. No attempt by her to build a consensus and form a “coalition” of all sides. Did she notice that Aronsohn sponsored a dog parade at Earth Day this year, in a public park? I’m sure she and others could have worked with him to turn put together a real effort to get an ordinance changed. But instead she seems most interested in insults and name-calling. Sad!
I am 4:04 again. By park do you mean the path at Vets field , for example, where I have been exercising for over thirty years in peace. Walking, jogging, running.
When people disobey the rules and walk their dogs on leashes there, the dogs will try to run after me.
I will sue the town if I am bothered by a dog while I am walking on the path at Vets field.
You selfish people, first you overdevelop the land , then you want to deprive people the right to enjoy the parks without being accosted by dogs. New JOisey. What a wonderful community this is.
I happen to hate dogs. I think that is my privilege. Sometimes they scare me but in general they are simply not four-legged babies. I don’t want them in the parks.
Amamom (first entry) is right on. No, let’s NOT give up a park to dogs! Imagine how well that would turn out! Our parks are for people. They have already been given up to sports diamonds and fields and fences, and when that particular sport isn’t in season, the place is a waste. Speaking of waste, what would be the criterion indicating that such an experiment had failed? Lawsuits from dog bites (inevitable)? Dog litter all over the place (laughably inevitable)? Are we really expecting any follow-up at all from the town for this when we get it for nothing else? People who merely felt intimidated or uncomfortable or allergic regarding the omnipresence of canines would not complain, but probably just stop going to the park. Is that fair? Dog owners are not uniformly respectful of other people and do not consistently keep their dogs in tow. I would hate being sniffed at, run after, leg-humped, and slobbered on or to watch it happen to others, or to have to extricate myself from a long leash–that happens already. Dogs smell, shed, and trail menstrual blood. And bark. Sorry, people, dogs are not people! Some towns may allow this, but plenty forbid dogs in parks. If we changed our ordinance, people from those towns would all come here with their dogs! This is NOT far fetched (to coin a phrase).When a reasonable ordinance is not respected, you don’t rewrite the ordinance–you enforce it. That’s the real answer: give tickets to dog owners outside the dog runs, which they are lucky to have. NO DOGS.
I took my dog there once. The place smells terrible what with all the heavy concentration of dog p everywhere.
4:45 No one listens to Anne Loving, really? Guess you were not paying attention to the recent parking garage referendum. Looks like Gwenn, Albert, and Paul are busy in their forced retirement – busy bashing the people who got them out of office. Believe me, Anne Loving is not in the least bit offended by your nastiness. She is way above all of that.
11:13 – Well Roberta, if Anne Loving ran for office you would be out of a job the day she got elected. Pretty sure of that. Then again, hopefully you are almost out of a job anyway.
4:45 – what planet are you on? No one could work with Aronsohn on anything, at least not anyone with a shred of honesty, morals, and ethics. All he was willing to form a coalition on was his back room deals.
Clearly, the sore losers are now out in force trying their best to disrespect (got that Gwenn?) those who were able to successfully bring their 4 year reign of terror to an end.
4:45. Gotta be dim-witted Gwenn. Saying its a great idea and long overdue. And in the next sentence saying so one listens to Anne Lovings great ideas. So it’s a great idea but not a great idea. Pretty much the kind of nonsensical contradictory gibberish we heard from Gwenn for four years. I don’t necessarily think dogs need to be in the parks, but I do take my hat off to Anne Loving and all the other residents who have ideas, great and small, and take the time to bring them forward.
Why only a dogs rule? If you open the parks to allow people to bring their pet dogs, then what if people want to take their cats or potbelly pigs on a leash in the parks? Fair is fair for all pets..
Love dogs – – but agree our parks just are not big enough to fit dogs.
I am all for it, with proper rules policy and fines. With social media, take a picture and submit for a fine, I think there should be a compromise and people should come together to figure this out. Happy to participate,
Denise
I have 2 dogs but am considerate enough to know that not everyone wants dogs in their parks and other public places, and can certainly appreciate that. And I’m not Gwen Hauck and I’m still sick of Anne La Grange Loving and her self-serving ideas. Sometimes it’s good to know when to take a break.
Veteran’s Field is filled with athletic practice all over the place on the side of the path, balls are rolling, parents are taking their toddlers in strollers, I’m sure the parents would want a dog’s tongue in the face of their child in the stroller. Plus all the men who are running and others who need the uninterrupted space for their exercise.
Time to hire a lawyer! Sue the town and any dog that bites me at Vets field while I am running their; plus sue the owner of the dog!!
People who want to push something through often talk about sitting down to discuss and compromise. No compromise is required and the existing ordinance is just fine. No sitting down. Just let it go.
The reality is that there are dogs in all the town parks every day, ordinance notwithstanding. Look at Habernickel, dogs run up there on and off leash. People walk their dogs through Van Neste and people congregate at Brookside field to let their dogs run loose and at any given ball game parents are on the sidelines with the family dogs. The ordinance is completely ignored just like so many of the stupid laws that exist in this town. No need to change the ordinance, just keep bringing your dogs like you already are doing only please remember to clean up after them. And oh by the way throw away your soda cans and candy wrappers in garbage cans while you are at it.