Script:
HOST INTRO: If one thing is certain, it’s that New Yorkers love dogs. They’re everywhere, yet there doesn’t seem to be many places for them to run around and let their boundless energy out. It’s estimated that there are close to 600,000 dogs in New York. However, there are only 138 dog parks across the five boroughs. After a bit of long division, that comes out to 4,347 dogs per dog park.
AMBI: dogs barking and park noise.
TRACK: Dogs need to run, they need to socialize with other four-legged creatures and the only place they can be off the leash is the park. I asked Rita Vera, Jed Butler, and Savannah Gonzalez; three New Yorkers at Madison Square Park how often they bring their companions to the dog run.
ACT: Rita: Every two days.
Jed: Twice a day. Pretty much religious every day.
Savannah: Every day.
TRACK: Rita, the caretaker of Luna the Cattle Dog, Jed, the caretaker of Mercedes the Mini Lab, and Savannah, the caretaker of Josh an Irish Setter all feel as though Madison Square Park is often quite crowded.
ACT: Rita: I don’t like it when it’s too full. I don’t like to come when it’s too many dogs because she’s too jealous of me and will stay by my side.
Jed: On the weekends, it’s really crowded. Sometimes I’m like oh my god.
Savannah: On the weekends or in the summer it’s very crowded.
TRACK: Despite the crowds drawn to the dog parks, it isn’t always at 4,000 dogs all the time. If it were, there would be a major issue. At that number it wouldn’t even be a dog run anymore, it’d be a dog pile.
ACT: Jed: Not all dogs are equipped to handle the dog park either like they are older and don’t like to be picked on or played with. Some dogs don’t need it, but other dogs like her do she has a lot of energy.
TRACK: Rita travels from the Bronx frequently to come to the dog parks of Manhattan, but she mainly goes to Madison Square Park.
ACT: Rita: I come here or Union Square but at Union Square, they have sand as the ground and Luna had an allergic reaction to it. She was itching, itching her paw, and had a blister and we had to take her to the veterinarian.
TRACK: Savannah and Jed both think that more dog parks would be beneficial to the city.
ACT: Jed: I mean I think we need more, that’d be better. But um, where I live it’s pretty good because there’s one that I take her to in the morning. Between 26th and 28th on First Ave. Then in the afternoon, I bring her here.
Savannah: I wish there were more dog parks.
TRACK: The city is compact, and there are a lot of dogs. If you or your furry friend don’t like the crowds at the parks, there are private runs for a more peaceful outing. It’ll cost you though, some memberships reach into the couple thousands. For Baruch College, I’m Jack Van Hecke.
AMBI: Dog park sounds and barks.