Location: New York, NY 10024, between Central Park West and 5th Ave. and 110th St. and E. 59 St.
Rules:
- New York State law requires that dogs be vaccinated against rabies, and the New York City Health Code requires every dog owner/attendant carry with them proof of current dog license and rabies vaccination while in public. Dog owners may be fined for violation of these laws. To obtain an application for a dog license, please visit the New York City Department of Health website , or call 311. You may also obtain an application from a veterinarian, animal shelter, or pet shop.
- Dogs must be on a leash (no more than six feet long) at all times, except in dog runs and designated off-leash areas at the prescribed times.
- You must pick up after your dog and dispose of the waste in containers provided throughout the park.
- You must prevent your dog from chasing birds, squirrels, and other animals.
- Dogs are not permitted in playgrounds, zoos, fountains, ball fields, on basketball/handball/tennis courts, in swimming pools/facilities, bathing areas, and New York City beaches.
Hours: Open daily 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Dogs can run off-leash before 9:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. Between those hours, your dog needs to be leashed up.
Description: According to the Central Park Conservancy, the group that manages and maintains Central Park, there are 23 dog-friendly areas around the 823 acres of the park. These are the areas where dogs and their owners tend to gather to participate in events, often in the early morning or evening hours when dogs are allowed to run off-leash. Some of these areas include Harlem Meer, East Meadow, Cedar Hill and Mineral Springs. Click below for a complete map of the dog-friendly areas in the park.
It would take an entire website to review the dog-friendly areas in Central Park, so failing that, we reviewed the designated dog area near West 86th Street.
REVIEW BY DUSTY BLUE: As my owner found out, parking is really hard to find around Central Park, but I’m guessing most people who come to one of the dog-friendly areas in the park do so on foot and don’t need to concern themselves with that issue. The park is pretty busy with a lot more people than dogs, so skittish dogs might want to stay home… especially ones who are freaked out by bustling people. You need to stay on leash during the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but there are a lot of great areas to run around in the off hours, and even though I was on leash, I dragged my owner all over the place, sniffing every tree and marking up a storm. The park itself is a beautiful oasis right in the middle of Manhattan, so you can’t go wrong with any of the 23 designated dog areas.