We are urging Mayor Bill De Blasio to create specific off-leash dog hours at the Corporal John A. Seravalli Playground and basketball courts between 9PM—9AM (though further restricted to only when the park is officially open). The Corporal John A. Seravalli Playground and basketball courts (Hudson St. between Gansevoort and Horatio Sts.) has been an unofficial gathering place for dog owners before 9AM for years and now is the time we need to make it official off-leash dog hours. The park is currently underutilized during these hours and the gates make it the perfect place for local pups to meet up and run around.  

Especially in the midst of a pandemic, it is a safe place for New Yorkers to gather safely in an outdoor enclosed area with their dogs. The dogs love it and the citizens love it as well. There are many benefits to allow for this official change which are cited below, but in summarizing, it will increase park safety, decrease crime, and will be a great form of socialization for dogs and their taxpaying owners.  Dog runs help people build a routine and sense of community.  Dogs bring comfort to their humans who might tend to isolate and serve as an ice breaker for strangers to interact.

For approximately 20 years, parks have allowed dogs to be off-leash in certain specified parks, in certain specified locations, during restricted hours. Frequently those hours are 9pm through 9am (though further restricted to only when the park is officially open). This space is currently underused during these hours. We are signing this petition in order to officially make the Corporal John A. Seravalli Playground basketball courts an area in the West Village for locals to gather and enjoy their pets in peace. 

Reasons to Create Dog Off-Leash Hours

1. Off-leash dog owners have been repeatedly credited by Parks Commissioners with helping reclaim NYC parks from crime, violence, and decline.
2. The half million taxpaying dog owners of NYC deserve and need outdoor space to recreate with their dogs.
3. Off-leash recreation better socializes dogs, resulting in better canine citizens which benefit the communities in which they live.
4. Off-leash Hours policy gets people into the parks, bringing New Yorkers together and making the City a more pleasant place.
5. Dog owners who use Off-leash Hours are a strong deterrent against crime in the parks early in the morning and late in the evening.
6. New York's dramatic reduction in dog bites from over 40,000 annually before off-leash privileges to just under 4,000 annually in 2005 coincides with the advent of the Off-leash dog recreation, official Off-leash Hours and dog parks.
7. Dogs off-leash in a natural setting playing, running, and being themselves are a beautiful sight for dog owners and most non-dog owners.
8. Many other cities and municipalities have agreed that providing off-leash opportunities makes good public policy and has had an overall positive effect that strongly outweighs any negatives.
9. Throwing a ball, running with, and playing with one's dog is a legitimate park recreational activity.
10. Though dog parks are great, there are not nearly enough of them to meet the demand from 600,000 dog owners.