West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG

Search the site

No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

Photos of the Day: Joyous Dogs Frolic On Forbidden Lawn

September 21, 2017 | 10:28 AM
in NEWS
43

Central Park’s Great Lawn is normally closed to dogs, but for a couple of glorious days the fences have come down to prepare for the Global Citizen concert on Saturday.

On Thursday morning, dozens of dogs took advantage of the sudden freedom, luxuriating on the soft grass.

Photos by Carol Tannenhauser.

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

43 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Chase
Chase
7 years ago

great for people who are going to soon bring out the blankets they can put them over some dog piss and maybe some poops. Hopefully will be cleaned before the event but pee runs deep, yo.

get your dog off our lawn!

0
Reply
Dresden
Dresden
7 years ago
Reply to  Chase

to anyone complaining of dog pee (Chase, etc.) …what of bird, squirrel goose, (and ummm human, yes they do) pee ?

0
Reply
GG
GG
7 years ago
Reply to  Dresden

This reminds me of that old George Carlin bit about water and fish. I’m paraphrasing here but something like:

You drink water?!! That’s gross…you know fish *&%# in it, right?

0
Reply
jezbel
jezbel
7 years ago
Reply to  GG

That line precedes Carlin by about 20 years.

0
Reply
GG
GG
7 years ago
Reply to  jezbel

Interesting, I don’t doubt it. It sounds like it could have been an old Vaudeville line or at least the Catskills.

Good stuff though! The classics always live on.:)

0
Reply
robert
robert
7 years ago
Reply to  Chase

“Our lawn”
gee are u a cats human being? That’s how cats view us, while dogs want to be our friends. Must dog owners pick up there poop and the coming rain will wash away any peep on the grass by the 23rd. Hopefully the people coming to the “global” concert will take their tons of trash withy them. not leave it all around the park as usual. This is being pushed as a concert but it is actually a political event. Watch who speaks and even what the artists say about the us. The PR will be billed as look how many should up to support global ideas etc when must people are only there to see the bands etc.
Hope they take all the needles, wine bottles, human poop and other assorted leftovers with then. The pineitorium has already become heavily used by people shooting up at night. There are needles and/or syringes all around that area. And around the play grounds on the west side of the park. Don’t believe it? look around in the bushes behind the benches ringing the play grounds. But do not pick them up with your bare hands. Tell the park attendant and he/she can sweep it up or use gloves or something to pick it up. There may be blond or other human contaminants on the syringes as well as the needles

0
Reply
lynn
lynn
7 years ago

Just out of curiosity, why are dogs not allowed on the Great Lawn? I suppose I spend more time uptown but I don’t remember any restrictions.

0
Reply
Mark Moore
Mark Moore
7 years ago

No problem, just pick up the poop.

0
Reply
nycityny
nycityny
7 years ago

Sorry, but this does not warm my heart. Nobody wants to sit on or step in what dogs leave behind. Even after owners pick up after the dog remnants remain…unless you rip out the grass onto which it was sticking. There’s a reason dogs aren’t allowed.

0
Reply
Scott
Scott
7 years ago

Just because the fences are down, does not mean dogs are allowed. If you leave your front door open, is everyone allowed to come in?

Take care of the park and it will take care of you.

0
Reply
js
js
7 years ago

But not so nice when folks end up stepping or sitting in dog poop…

0
Reply
jezbel
jezbel
7 years ago

Great to see the dogs frolicking here once again. Even if it’s only for a few days. I used to take my pup out to play frisbee back before it was off limits. We had a ball.

0
Reply
Phoebe
Phoebe
7 years ago
Reply to  jezbel

I thought you had a frisbee

0
Reply
jezbel
jezbel
7 years ago
Reply to  Phoebe

Ha!I get it.

0
Reply
9d8b7988045e4953a882
9d8b7988045e4953a882
7 years ago

I feel that the Upper West Side now has too many dogs. They are everywhere, and the sidewalks are a mess. I love dogs as much as the next person, but this situation strikes me as too much of a good thing. And why individuals have to have 2 or 3 dogs in a crowded urban environment is beyond me.

0
Reply
9d8b7988045e4953a882
9d8b7988045e4953a882
7 years ago
Reply to  9d8b7988045e4953a882

OK, there is such a thing as a saturation point, where the neighborhood can’t absorb more dogs. In my opinion we are nearing that point. It is affecting the quality of life of people who do not own dogs. Many posters have complained about not being able to walk down the sidewalks without stepping over excrement and streams of urine. Additionally, dog walkers are constantly coming in and out of my building throughout the day. While it might not be high up on my list of concerns, it has become incredibly annoying lately.

0
Reply
PBJTime
PBJTime
7 years ago
Reply to  9d8b7988045e4953a882

I feel that the Upper West Side now has too many kids. They are everywhere, and the sidewalks are a mess with strollers, scooters, and slow walkers with short legs. I love kids as much as the next person, but this situation strikes me as too much of a good thing. And why individuals have to have two or three kids in a crowded, urban environment, during a global, environmental crisis, is beyond me.

0
Reply
eliza
eliza
7 years ago
Reply to  PBJTime

Some people prefer dogs ad others prefer kids. Dogs are quieter, friendlier .

0
Reply
Emily
Emily
7 years ago
Reply to  PBJTime

Nah, those kids just don’t give you the real, true experience unless their parents also let them lick your legs, and let them pee and poo on the sidewalks. And they only need to casually swipe the poo away, the pee can stay.

0
Reply
BJK
BJK
7 years ago
Reply to  PBJTime

And my dog doesn’t cost the taxpayers enormous amounts of money for an education, pre-K (i.e., babysitting), CHIP, etc.

0
Reply
Smithe
Smithe
7 years ago
Reply to  PBJTime

Hear! Hear! Whats the attraction to procreation anyway? Brats!

0
Reply
Confused
Confused
7 years ago
Reply to  PBJTime

Best comment I’ve read in a long time. Thanks for making me smile.

0
Reply
9d8b7988045e4953a882
9d8b7988045e4953a882
7 years ago
Reply to  Confused

I guess you are one of those people who is easily amused, because that wasn’t terribly original or creative. I’ve seen this technique many times on message boards, where someone copies another post and substitutes some different words to make fun of it.

0
Reply
Stunned
Stunned
7 years ago
Reply to  9d8b7988045e4953a882

Sip some wine with that whine! Maybe you’ll chill out and grow a heart.

0
Reply
F Amed
F Amed
7 years ago
Reply to  9d8b7988045e4953a882

Well said. Here on W73 where the Canine
Shop is we are under siege with a great many
dogs and their dropping. It’s deterioting the quality of life along with the bikes. Too much – the city has become over loaded. Will anyone want to continue to pay these prices as the City descends into chaos and mismanagement?

0
Reply
Ish Kabibble
Ish Kabibble
7 years ago
Reply to  9d8b7988045e4953a882

Sounds like you don’t love dogs as much as the next person. Just sayin.

0
Reply
OriginalMark
OriginalMark
7 years ago

Ahh, this is where those hearty dog haters come out.
Oh dear, we are so dainty and fragile – what if we sit where an animal peed. I mean, I know that people all over the world thrive in proximity to animals, and in much of Europe dogs are welcome pretty much everywhere, but what if my delicate self sits where a dog was??
Toughen up. If you sit on grass, you can reasonably assume that some animal, be it tame or wild, may have peed there.

0
Reply
poopdeckpappy
poopdeckpappy
7 years ago
Reply to  OriginalMark

Seriously. They complain about dog poop and then go outside and breathe in all the contaminants, touch the poles on the subway, door handles, movie theater seats, they drink alcohol excessively, and eat foods covered/filled with toxic chemicals. Makes complete sense to me.

0
Reply
DenMark
DenMark
7 years ago
Reply to  OriginalMark

Great Lawn and Sheep Meadow are the only places one can walk barefoot absentmindedly in this city. I love my dog, but I get why dogs aren’t allowed.

0
Reply
Kathleen
Kathleen
7 years ago
Reply to  OriginalMark

Well said, OriginalMark!

0
Reply
Cat
Cat
7 years ago
Reply to  OriginalMark

Or even a human being. I see a lot of things on the ground that couldn’t possibly have come out of a dog, lol.

0
Reply
Mimi Brossard
Mimi Brossard
7 years ago

All it takes is a few dog tearing up the grass to ruin the lawn.
Of course these dog owners care little for the greater good.

0
Reply
OriginalMark
OriginalMark
7 years ago
Reply to  Mimi Brossard

A “few dogs” can’t ruin the Great Lawn.
And your generalization is laughable.

0
Reply
Liz
Liz
7 years ago
Reply to  Mimi Brossard

Exactly, the problem is the tearing up of carefully nurtured (and expensive grass) not just the fecal residues. I too love dogs but because I do I think it’s nearly criminal that so many are kept in small apartments by owners who barely care for them. How many owners walking dogs pay attention to their dogs? most I see are buried in their phones. Dog walker reading phone messages stopped smack in the middle of the Natural History Museum and nearly got run over the day

0
Reply
Phoebe
Phoebe
7 years ago
Reply to  Liz

Here, it would be fair to substitute kids for dogs. Kids zombie/hostages in forward facing strollers, while parental unit or unit sub. chats with more important person.
This behavior continues on into the playground, shopping, etc.
Whatever happened to orienting the kid to your doings? I guess verbal skills –the all important personal exchange–is no longer considered important.
Possibly when it comes to personal chit-chat, the dog gets the better part of the stick with these parents, who are so stressed out from their constant “connectivity.”

0
Reply
Whoopi
Whoopi
7 years ago
Reply to  Liz

Liz: Do you mean to say that 100 dogs (at most) did more damage than 65,000 people in the park? Not to mention the trucks that come in out of the park (go look at the ivy at West Drive and 86th St. that the 18 wheelers tore up). Not gonna take the BS anymore. Scream IT.

0
Reply
Cintra
Cintra
7 years ago

It’s great that dogs can run about & enjoy themselves, as long as the owners pick up their poops. A good rain should hopefully clear the pee.

0
Reply
Eln
Eln
7 years ago

MEOW!

0
Reply
Phoebe
Phoebe
7 years ago

If only stepping in it were like silly putty–non-stick and odorless…
I often dab a drop of perfume right onto the tip of my nose. (Yeah, that’s me:)
Vote on yer fav scents now…
Love the dogs, don’t love the inconsiderate peeps.
Hope ya don’t mind the tiny scent emitted by my nostrils.

0
Reply
ArrowtheAiredale
ArrowtheAiredale
7 years ago

… Who’s that good looking airedale? A twin airedale wants to know! (honestly, we actually thought this was our dog at first– quite the double-take! Our Arrow was born 11/14/16, curious is yours is from same litter/ breeder in CT)

0
Reply
GG
GG
7 years ago

Here is the solution I have come up with for the dog waste epidemic on the UWS and Manhattan.

No more dogs going to the bathroom in public. Just like regular people. You want to compare your doggies to kids? OK then, be held to the same standards. Do kids soil our streets every day, constantly. No. Teach these precious little things to use one of those pads or put down some newspaper or whatever you need to do. I don’t really care. That’s your problem and your choice.

Train them appropriately and it shouldn’t be a problem. There you go…problem solved. You are all welcome. Keep it in your apartments instead of turning the whole city into a toilet.

Either that or just ban all dogs from the city. Period. I could probably be elected on this platform alone as a single issue candidate.

What can I say? I’m a cat person.:)

0
Reply
Phoebe
Phoebe
7 years ago
Reply to  GG

Seriously, I always thought that “curb your dog”
meant: train then to pee and poop in the street, right next to the curb. NOT on bags the sanitation workers have to pick up, dripping with piss, NOT onto the large flowerpot/plant right outside someone else’s building’s doorway, NOT in the plant beds, NOT on the stoops, etc. It is weird that no one seems to have any shame or pride of place or person, but figure it’s the dog–it’s an animal thing–what do you expect it to do? I love animals, but it Is a weird attitude for humans to have toward other humans.

0
Reply
robert
robert
7 years ago

Forget the dogs.
How much is it going to cost to reseed the grass after 60K plus stomped all over it. They will have compressed the soil making it harder for the roots to do their needed work.
And that’s not to mention the damage down to the lawn with all the trucks that came to deliver and set up the stage. The crane alone left gauges several inches deep in the lawn where it chewed up the earth

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

New Version of Silver Moon Bakery Expected to Open This Week on Upper West Side
FOOD

New Version of Silver Moon Bakery Expected to Open This Week on Upper West Side

July 14, 2025 | 2:13 PM
New Digital Screen With Accurate Bus Wait Times Installed on Upper West Side
NEWS

New Digital Screen With Accurate Bus Wait Times Installed on Upper West Side

July 14, 2025 | 12:00 PM
Previous Post

WestSide Wednesdays: Sensuous Bean

Next Post

Police Ask for Public’s Help Finding Man Accused of Central Park Rape

this week's events image
Next Post
Police Ask for Public’s Help Finding Man Accused of Central Park Rape

Police Ask for Public's Help Finding Man Accused of Central Park Rape

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO TUTOR CHILDREN THIS SUMMER

Tutoring Program Looking for Volunteers

Elizabeth’s Neighborhood Table Announces Imminent Closure

Elizabeth's Neighborhood Table Announces Imminent Closure

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.