Caught On Camera and Off-Leash: ‘Dog Days’ in Central Park
– Adrian Benepe, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner
Photographer Fran Reisner compiles a “photographic love letter” to Central Park and its human and animal inhabitants in her new book, “The Dogs of Central Park.”
Peaches, a Shetland Sheepdog, enjoys the sun near "Cleopatra's Needle." The Obelisk is the oldest man-made structure in Central Park.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
This group of dogs "always turns heads," according to Reisner. They are led through the park by trainer Tibor Feigel of Zen K-9.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
Brinkley, a Coton de Tuléar, strikes a pose in front of a bed of flowers.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
This pup loves lounging in Central Park's Strawberry Fields.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
Standard poodles Mikimoto and Gem on their daily walk by the Boat House.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
An inquisitive terrier on the Mall.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
It's a beautiful day by Bethesda Fountain.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
Throughout most areas of the Park, dogs are allowed "off leash" between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
Scheki, a three-legged dog rescued from Israel, plays fetch.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
Griff and Toby are Wolfhound mixes. Toby's adoption motivated his owner, veterinarian Andrew Kaplan, to found the Toby Project, an organization that provides free spaying and neutering for New York dogs.
Rizzoli/ Fran Reisner
The dogs displayed in the book’s 140 photographs demonstrate the wide range of creatures that spend time in one of the country’s most-visited urban spaces. They run the gamut from calm and cuddly canines to more active breeds, including Oreo — “gentle giant” of a Great Dane — and Brinkley, a “mischievous” small dog who has earned the nickname “Stinkley Brinkley.”
The mix of pet personalities on show in the collection is a tribute to the diversity of the humans and city that accompany them. While human park-goers marvel at this “beautiful confluence,” writes Reisner, for the dogs, “everyone is just another potential playmate, someone to run to, bark at, or chase around.”
In the book’s preface, City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe describes dog owners’ involvement with Central Park PAWS, a group that works with the Central Park Conservancy to help take care of the park and protect its landscape from any potential dog damage. Benepe remarks that Central Park “wouldn’t be complete without one of its most appealing and varying features — the dogs who know it well.”
