Since Prophet and I started walking together I have been thinking a lot about shared space. I really enjoy letting him walk off leash. There should be a name for this activity, or for the people who engage in it. Off-leash walkers? It is legal now in New York City, in certain parks and at certain hours. The dogs get in fewer fights, because they have the physical space to negotiate their own relationships instead of being confined to a six-foot radius around their owner. Dog bites of people are down, too. And since it brings dogs and their owners into those parks at off-hours, other people, with less wholesome interests in the isolation of the park find less isolation there. Am I being too obscure?
But we still share those parks with people who have every right not to be disturbed by dogs. There are solitary walkers. People sit and meditate. Artists set up in the early morning to take advantage of the quiet and the light. Many of those people don't like dogs, so when I see a person without an accompanying dog I immediately put Prophet on leash. Many of my fellow dog walkers don't. Now I will readily admit that a full-sized German Shepherd can be more intimidating than a Yorkie to somebody who isn't a dog lover, but I think there should be a recognition of shared space. Instead, I frequently hear from my dog-walking associates that this is "our time" in the park and people should stay out if they don't like dogs.
These are the same people who feel that they are not obligated to observe New York's poop-scoop law in wooded areas, that dog poop is natural. When this winter's snows were melting the trails along the Hudson became disgusting with their "natural" contributions. Some don't even license their dogs, and when the police (very occasionally) come around checking for dog licenses they get irate, wondering why the cops aren't chasing "real" criminals. Which is, in part, my point: we tend to think that everything we do is benign.
The flip side of this is that other park users can be intolerant of us, too. When I see joggers or cyclists on the trail I always lead Prophet off and put him in a sit. Rarely somebody will nod, or smile, or even say thank you. Usually they refuse eye contact. Do they think they simply deserve this courtesy? Or are they outraged that they have to share the trail with me at all?
When our kids were young and playing in Little League baseball the parents arrived early to rake and lime the fields. There were other park lovers who felt that this was a terrible use of Riverside Park. Mowing the fields reduced bird habitat and shouting children frightened wildlife. Frankly even dog people and children people get into conflict about the appropriate use of the park. I have seen too many dog owners allow their pooches onto athletic fields to chase the children, steal their soccer balls, and shit in the grass. And when parents complain, they are denounced for it.
But these selfish uses of shared space paled for me today when I heard the news that ATV riders have been destroying the sand berms that the Parks Department created on Staten Island after superstorm Sandy. Neighborhoods that had eight feet of seawater received these incipient dunes to block the direct impact of waves before the next big storm. Grasses were planted to try to stabilize the berms. But apparently, some people in these neighborhoods were so thrilled by the creation of these new fun parks that they couldn't resist tearing them up.
I wonder often why we all have to pay for the reconstruction of seaside homes that we didn't all get to enjoy. But if people want to destroy their own storm protection? It leaves me wondering.
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