There is a lack of space available for dogs and people to collect in NYC. Whether public or private someone is in charge of making decisions, regarding a space. From the department of parks and recreation, making decisions regarding the use of parks, or the owners of private corporations such as restaurants, hotels, or even apartments. Someone is always making a decision. Now, these decisions have many effects on the lives of dogs.

     Policies are the everyday challenges of dog owners. A dog owner wants to be able to take their dogs around the city, and avoid leaving them home alone as much as possible, much like a dog owner I had met who even had to find a job, where she could work at home from, just to avoid leaving her dog Everest at home alone so much.

It is unfortunate that dogs are not permitted on much of human space. Dogs are a part of so many people’s lives; people that have to make all their decisions taking their dogs into account. Walking in New York, you’d be surprised by the amount of people walking their dogs. Now if all of these people were making decisions based on where their dogs are or aren’t permitted, wouldn’t these decisions come in the way of the success of businesses? Which is why I ask this, why create these policies? What caused these policies to come about? Is it a fear of dogs? Will these policies change, as dog culture is becoming more popular? Have the New York policies changed over time? Most importantly, I would need find out if New York really is “the nations friendliest destination” as Animal Fair magazine reportedly claims. To find all these answers I would need to find out who is making these decisions first, as they will hopefully prove to know the most.

Private space includes everything from where you sleep from where to eat. Deciding to go eat at a restaurant may be a small decision, compared to choosing an apartment where owning dogs is acceptable, or “okay” as the brokers or sellers would put it. After having to take that into consideration one would have to look at the surrounding destinations such as restaurants and shops, as some areas in Manhattan may prove to be more dog friendly than others. The apartment choosing process has to become a much more practical decision.

Choosing where you live includes decisions based on the surrounding public space. Do the surrounding parks have dog runs? Dog runs are the only public spaces dogs are allowed to be let loose in, during a specific time period. Are these dog runs too small or over crowded? Choosing the right sidewalks to walk your dog at, or take them out to let loose is even a little decision a dog owner must make. Looking for large and empty sidewalks, and avoiding the hustle and bustle of Manhattans overcrowded sidewalks, makes the dog walking process for a lot of dog owners and their dogs a lot easier. Even public transit is not a guaranteed way to get around the city with your dog. The subway only allows for dogs small enough to be put in a handbag to be allowed in. Not all cabs driver’s pickup or allow dogs into their cabs.

We all come face to face with dogs, whether we own them or not, so decisions of where to share space with dogs really do affect us all.