In Orrin's World, every new piece of information he takes in through his five senses gets processed through a an odd ideological processor in his brain that this new piece of information somehow "proves" his hatred and personal jihad against Off-leash Hours Policy in NYC Parks.
The latest case in point: Orrin extrapolates from a NYT article he read that somehow Off-leash Recreation is part of the recent increase of spending on pets in America and on a "humanization" of animals that the article states has been a trend in the United States.
Orrin questions whether dogs are "happier" when they are off-leash.
Orrin says: "Shades of the humanization that leads to the conclusion that dogs are “happier” off-leash."
Gee, Orrin. Do you think birds would be "happier" in cages, or on leashes all the time than they would be free to walk or fly around. Are leashes or restraints on animals their natural state?
Is it "humanizing" to ask if a dog, or any other animal would be be happier on a leash all the time? Would you be happier on a leash all the time? (No need to answer that, we don't care about your practices behind closed doors).
Anyone with two working eyes (even one would do) and half a functioning logical brain observing dogs off-leash running, playing, frolicking, exploring, tumbling, chasing, playing, recognizes that this activity is good for them and makes them more content (yes, happy), less aggressive, less territorial, and better to cope with the stresses of living in an urban environment. Virtually all animal behaviorist, doctors of veterinary medicine agree that dogs need exercise--especially younger dogs. Anyone who has ever seen a dog deprived of adequate exercise, especially in a critical puppy to young adult phase will often notice that these dogs are often poorly adapted to life with people, and with others of their own species.
Even the stuffy old American Kennel Club supports the Off-leash Hours Policy in New York City Parks, because its clear to all who know and work with dogs that this policy works and is beneficial for all people who live in New York City. For those curious to see the AKC's official endorsement of Off-leash Hours policy, you can read it here. But of course, Orrin knows dogs much better than those lightweights at the AKC.
Our Dear Orrin goes even further and now has to:
"And it points out another pernicious aspect of this policy: these vast sums aren’t being spent by poor people. So as much as off-leash policy exists to benefit white folks because they are more desirable park patrons than black folks, it exists to benefit the haves because they are more desirable than the have-nots."
Pernicious indeed! The only thing pernicious, Dear Orrin, is your conscious and unconscious racism against African Americans in particular. Dear Orrin, African American people own dogs, they love their dogs, they care for their dogs, take their dogs to the vet, spend money on their dogs, and many, as responsible dog owners, take the time and effort to exercise their dogs and socialize their dogs so they do well in an urban environment with other dogs and humans. This frequently involves taking them for play time to burn off energy and to socialize at enclose dog parks, and, since there are only 44 enclose dog parks for over 1 million dogs in NYC, using the 88 designated Off-leash Areas in NYC parks for Off-leash Hour recreation.
Your racism is pernicious and despicable. Keep trying to fit that round peg into the square hole Orrin baby!
Dear Orrin missed his life's calling. He should have been a Party apparatchik in the old Soviet Union. One of those people who would propagandize that there's been a record harvest, when half the population is starving to death. You see, Orrin is gripped with his hatred of Off-leash policy and its benefits for all New Yorkers, that you could tell him that Good Humor has a new flavor of ice cream, and he would somehow link it to "pernicious" Off-leash Hour policy.
Oh, Dear Orrin, any hope you've had to make a case for racism and the Off-leash Hours policy in NYC Parks has been completely discredited by your insanity and pathetic racism. But surely you're going to keep trying to jam that round peg in the square hole.
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Orrin Tilevitz’s CREDO blog posted this yesterday:
“Early this morning in a stroll around the park perimeter, we passed 137 pedestrians, of whom 108 were black. All of the half-dozen dog walkers as well as most of the cyclists were white.
Friday afternoon around 3:45, 4 dogs at the dog beach, one of them leashed. All the owners were white.”
Assuming that his count is accurate, what does this tell us and what is its purpose?
CREDO keeps implying –and outright declaring- that off-leash and other Parks policies are meant to rid the park of non-Caucasians.
Well, based on the count, 108 of 137 pedestrians (79%) were black. Obviously none of these citizens of New York were forced out of the park.
Ironically, Orrin goes on to note that most of the cyclists were white. Based on his well known illogical conclusions, one could surmise that biking and bike paths are also meant to deny non-whites use of the park. Perhaps he will write on his blog some pseudo-science about blacks being physiologically incapable of biking. After all, that is in line with his racist rants about Caucasian dog owners forcing minorities out of the park.
Orrin’s longer post is an abstract from the New York Times Magazine article on the medication (and sometimes over-medication) of pets. Had he properly understood the article or not been blinded by his hatred of pets, he would have realized that pets have become important living members of many families. Their care –including medical- is part of the owners’ responsibilities. And, just as with humans, some go overboard. But most pet owners appreciate medical advances that allow our beloved pets to lead long, healthier lives.
My objection to Orrin is two-fold. One is his blatant racism. Viewing the world through the prism of race is racism whether or not he personally thinks he is racist. It is no different than if he looked at everyone on the basis of sex (male/female) or religion. Rather than looking at people individually, he makes broad stroked characterizations and accusations.
An objective examination of Prospect Park user demographics would see it as a gloriously diverse group of people from myriad heritages and backgrounds. The racial component of the surrounding neighborhoods changes from the north to south and east to west sides of the park. The park is the place where good citizens from all neighborhoods can, and do, come together peacefully.
There are black, Asian, Caucasian, Latino dog owners. There are Muslim and Jewish dog owners (many people mistakenly believe that orthodoxy within those two faiths oppose pet ownership). There are poor and rich owners. And there are good and bad owners just as there are good and bad people within society.
Everything I have read and seen for myself proves (and I mean proves) that off-leash is working well in Prospect Park. The FIDO events are well attended by people of all races, and while it would be nice to see more non-whites, over the last year I have seen a greater mix of participants. I suspect that income is more a factor in participation than race, etc. Sadly, the Caucasian families surrounding the park tend to have higher incomes than others, but as with Queens County, we are seeing a burgeoning middle and upper class of non-whites forming within Brooklyn. How glorious is that? What great potential this all has for the entire city and country!
Orrin is an attorney. I suspect he likes humanity but dislikes people. Pitiful.
Instead of using his talents and expertise to help FIDO educate and self-regulate all dog owners, he wastes his time attacking all off-leashers. He makes fallacious statements and cites facts that are really fictitious. He comes to conclusions that do not stand up to scrutiny.
One of my favorites is his position that enclosed (fenced) dog parks are acceptable to him. But then he posts stolen YouTube videos showing responsible off-leashers during the early morning (6am-9am) hours when off-leash is permitted in a small section of Juniper Park, Queens and charges that they constitute a private club appropriating a (miniscule) portion of the 65 acre park. He fails to note that there is no designated off-leash area within that park. He neglects to mention that more than half the park is fenced off for ballfields, playgrounds, etc. – all areas where dogs are never allowed off-leash. Yet he does not accuse those users of appropriating most of the park for their private purposes.
Orrin opposes dog parks when convenient to his illogic of the day. But he supports them when he attacks off-leash policies. He claims off-leashers deny others the use of Prospect Park but he clearly is there at the same time as the dog owners. So are the pedestrians, bikers, horseback riders, and his fellow birders.
The other day, Bon Jovi used the Great Lawn in Central Park for a concert before 50,000 spectators. The great lawn has 12+ ballfields that could not be used during the concert. Was this fair? Of course it was. Out of necessity, park lands serve multiple purposes at different times.
From 6 am – 9 am, there are few non-dog owners using the Long Meadow and other fields of Prospect Park. By 9 am, dog owners are heading home and other patrons are using the park. That is the way it should be.
Orrin Tilevitz and his CREDO is a party of one; a lonely, pathetic party. He manages to find a few other curmudgeons who send him their equally illogical screeds that Orrin then uses as “proof” for his falsities.
He sees a YouTube video of a Deputy Parks Commissioner at the FIDO/NYCdog off-leash celebration and makes a highly racist accusation that Parks purposely sent an African American Deputy Commissioner to dress up photos. Forget that the Commissioner is in charge of public and community events within the park system (easily discovered had Orrin bothered to read the man’s job description and bio on the Parks website as I did after reading Orrin’s claims).
Now Orrin writes that people accuse him of being anti-Semitic. I have not read that anywhere. Racism is an accurate charge based on the reading of his CREDO site.
Finally, look at CREDO itself. He claims it is a Committee for Responsible Dog Ownership but all it really is a blog by a dog-hating individual opposed to off-leash. He does not offer salient or accurate advice on responsible dog ownership. He dismisses trained, reputable authorities and experts who disagree with him. And he uses RSS links (right side of his page) to post anti-dog stories gleaned from throughout the world. Does he post positive stories about pet ownership in NYC and our region? No.
Orrin is a bird watcher. It is time he watched his own behavior and considers for once that he might be wrong. Self examination is a quality that human beings have that helps us grow. Orrin stopped growing years ago. When a person ceases to grow, s/he begins to die from rot within.
Steve
So Orrin says a dog can't be happy off-leash. His statement shows that his brain is no bigger than the birds he watches.
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