Sunday, April 3, 2011

RIP Ziggy

A few weeks ago, several readers reported seeing a small dog that had been hit by a vehicle on 14th Street.

This sign is now up at the Tompkins Square Park dog run, which offers an explanation of what happened...


Photo by Bobby Williams.

9 comments:

Mark Hand The Catchman said...

"Ziggiy's death could have been prevented!" Yes... by the owners paying attention and not [most likely] burying their head in their blackberries or iphones.. They try to blame 'someone' who left both gates open, tho I constantly see dogs follow other owners & their leashed dogs their right out one gate and then the other. Most of these owners [the ones leaving] notice and call out before leaving thru the outer gates and everytime the owner of the escaping dog had their head buried in some device or another persons conversation .

Anonymous said...

Perhaps if both Ziggy AND his owners had been properly trained, he might still be around...

Anonymous said...

True, owners absolutely need to pay attention. Both for their pets' safety and for more trivial issues, like promptly cleaning up the poop. However, it has always upset me that people couldn't wait a few more seconds to open the gate if the other gate hadn't been closed yet. Dogs are way faster than most of us humans, so being responsible when using the gate is critical. Especially now that the run is getting more crowded: with dogs, dogs owners, and apparently people who think it's cool to just bring their kids there to play with the puppies (WTF??)

I'm so sorry to hear about this dog, but I'm grateful that the owners have decided to share their story. Hopefully this can help us make the run a safer place for all.

Lisa said...

Poor Ziggy; sleep well, sweetie.

cvinzant said...

It's not fair to blame Ziggy's parents. Dog runs are designed with an "air lock" gate because they naturally rush the gate when a new dog enters and inevitably one may slip by. There's a mechanical problem with the outer gate so that even if you close it, it bounces back open. More attentive owners who carefully shut the gate and open only one gate at a time would help. But we still need to fix the gate.

Anonymous said...

No matter who is or is not at fault, it's terribly sad... I was there when this dog was hit, and I wish I'd been able to do something to prevent it. If only I'd known what was happening a couple seconds earlier, I could have maybe stopped him... Terrible, the whole thing. I hope that he's fondly remembered by his family and friends.

Big Brother said...

NOT THE OWNER's FAULT!

I STOPPED taking my dog to this park for this very reason. I watch my dog like a hawk and still she almost got out once... as I stood by the gate!

The problem: People move through those two gates SO FUCKING SLOW and pay ZERO attention to dogs around them. Often times with baby carriages and small children and NO dog, as if it's a damn petting zoo! And when you do see a dog slip through, the crowd of idiots jamming the gates are impossible to move through.

My heart goes out to the Ziggy's owner.

Belle said...

How incredibly insensitive some of these comments are!

It's outrageous to see people who weren't even present sitting at their computers deciding who was at fault. Is EV Grieve the new Gawker?

Anonymous said...

This is so sad. I feel for the dog and his parents. I stopped taking my dog to the dog run. Between people lingering with the gate open and people not taking control of their dogs and people themselves being threatening, it just isn't safe.