Barking up the right tree

The rough-and-tumble unofficial dog run at Seventh Avenue and 86th Street in Dyker Beach Park will be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art facility that is expected to be complete by fall, 2013.

The $650,000 dog run – paid for by city funds secured by City Councilmember Vincent Gentile, in response to requests to his office – will have water piped in for fountains for both humans and canines.

It will also have special drainage that should keep noxious odors to a minimum, said representatives of the New York City Department of Park and Recreation who presented the plan to members of the Dyker Heights Civic Association, gathered at St. Philip’s Parish Hall, 11th Avenue and 80th Street, for their June meeting.

Architect Dennis Flynn said he had visited other dog runs around the city, and analyzed them all to determine what surfaces worked best before drawing up plans for the Dyker Park location, which he said will be wheelchair-accessible. Strategically positioned gates will prevent dogs from running out as people enter or leave. The current grassy area will remain and more trees will be added to beautify the space.

The work will transform the now dry-as-dust area from “a trailer park dog run to a Cadillac dog run,” Gentile told the group, promising that the unprepossessing plot of land will be an attractive addition to the neighborhood. “It will be landscaped and manicured,” he stressed.

Among the highlights of the new dog run will be separate spaces for big and little dogs. The small pups will be able to use the space allotted to the larger ones, but not the other way around, said Gentile.

Maintenance of the space will be handled by the dog runners association, whose assistance is required to establish the dog run, said Alex Mezzatesta, the park manager for the area. They will bag up trash for pickup by Parks Department personnel, he explained. But, Fran Vella-Marrone, the president of DHCA, stressed that the dog run is open to anyone, and the volunteer group does not set rules for it.

The response of DHCA members was mixed. One noted that she was looking forward to the new facility because of the odors that now emanate from the dog run. “I cross the street because I can’t walk past that,” she noted.

“Anything has got to be better than now,” another woman added, a sentiment echoed by several other people in the room.

Nonetheless, there were concerns about vans disgorging multiple dogs at the dog run, possibly by professional dog walkers who bring their charges there from other areas. “The vans come from out of the neighborhood,” one woman complained. “How do we stop that? Those are not our dogs.”

While there is a five dog per person limit at dog runs, it helps to know when it happens so enforcement efforts can be timed, said Portia Dyrenforth, director of Brooklyn capital projects for Parks.

One resident said that putting so much money into a dog run – especially when programs are being cut – was a huge waste of money.

“In this time of need, “she opined, “that money could have been used for something other than dogs.”