Morningside Dog Run

I love this dog park. I took my girlfriend’s dog here a lot.
The people are easy to talk to, the dogs are playful and (even with a smaller dog) I didn’t have to worry about any of the other pups getting too aggressive.

This park can go from decent to great. Lots of potential. I think Parks & Rec could be a little more pro-​active and make frequent visits to the dog run and collect comments from the neighbors that use the park. Signage on dog etiquette needs to be visible at the entrances. There’s too much dog poo left by neglectful owners and I wish there was a way to enforce that.
Nearby Riverside Park’s 3-​dog runs have made great improvements over the last year. No reason why Morningside Dog Run can’t outpace. Lets start with providing wood chips more frequently and always having an abundance of supply. With the many dead trees lying around Morningside Park especially after Sandy, why not cut down the park hazards and use a wood chipper to keep a stash for the park. Additionally, set up a web address for those who wish to donate or raise funds for the dog run enhancements. Poop guidelines should be visible not just in the dog run but around the park and enforced. There are so many violators to that alone that you’ll have plenty of funding for continued improvements.
I could state several more but as I mentioned earlier, it would be a great gesture and just plain doing your job, for park administrators to visit and collect feedback from the tax payers in the neighborhood that use the dog run.

One obese woman once said to me «You dont know me». Yea that kind of woman.

Not that bad but needs some work.
Things it has going for it:
— Separate large & small dog runs with separate entry areas
— Adequate seating for dog owners
— Plenty of shade during the summer
— Good fencing & gates
Things it has against it:
— No bathrooms near run for humans
— No permanent water source for dogs
— Poop bags are rarely available
— Built on a hill, so not level
— Wood chips used as ground cover, but not enough put down so there is a lot of exposed dirt
— Questionable characters in this park
This run isn’t bad but could use a little TLC. After speaking to several regulars there seem to be some issues with ignorant owners with pit bulls and dog walkers dumping dogs in the run.
Dog runs/​parks I have been to so far:

Not much more to say that hasn’t been typed already by others.
There are some really good dog owners and there are some really bad negligent dog owners. This means good dogs and misbehaving dogs. There are teen dog walkers who drop the dogs and go smoke weed and leave their trash, chicks on cell phones who conveniently ignore their dogs taking massive dumps, and pit bull owners who typify hood culture (we leave immediately when this happens and there are some really bad owners in this area who encourage their dogs to be aggressive at this park).
But then during off hours the place will be empty or with only a few well-​watched dogs with courteous owners. They’re usually walking around picking up the trash of the jerks, the dog piles from their dogs, keeping their dogs socialized properly. They are a great group of people with a great group of dogs.
It’s a hit or miss probably about 50:50. Luckily there is enough park around if the dog run is full to get in a good walk.

This dog park is decent. I think most people do a good job of cleaning up after their pets, and also of voluntarily stocking plastic bags for pick ups. The dog park is really small, as I am used to a huge one with a forest, lake, and an acre of land albeit this was in Florida. However, our greyhound mix who needs to run is very happy in the smaller park just chasing the ball.
I just want to make a point to say that I have been to many dog parks, and that dog fights will always happen despite breed. All it takes is one spunky dog paired with an aloof or ignorant dog owner to disturb a dog park’s energy. At this dog park, once in a while there is a careless dog owner who doesn’t supervise his dog which may lead to a scuffle or fight. Just for the record, when I have witnessed this, it was never a pit bull starting the fight. I have actually seen very great and well behaved aggressive breeds in this park… I will stop preaching, just keep in mind it is often the owner to blame not the breed.
The surrounding areas can be somewhat sketchy with homeless people and drug paraphanelia, but honestly, I have never ever had an issue. That being said the dog park is often patrolled with park police and on the lower Harlem side there is almost always police patrol. Be smart, and you will be fine, I often take the dogs for a small walk in the general park before or after the dog run.
Bottom line: I’m satisfied. I live in a really small apartment and our two 50+ pound dogs need to get their excercise, and this place does the trick. I feel safe.

Even though it’s kept up by the parks department we can also do our part to keep the place clean for our furry friends if you can keep a park clean for kids why not our pets vet bills are expensive too

This dog run has been ruined by adolescents (including adult-​age adolescents) and their untrained, vicious pit bulls. One of them attacked a smaller dog one day, not sure if the victim survived.
I do know that the owner of the attack dog was hostile about the whole thing.
Parks people … ?
Police … ?
Any chance of retrieving this PUBLIC area from the «hood mentality?

It’s not huge, but nothing in New York is except the buildings. Some dogs are mean, but most just want to have fun. Park closes at 10, and I’ve heard that cops will write you tickets, especially near the end of the month when they’re trying to fill quotas.