Snooty dog owners hijacked NYC park for ‘private’ kennel club

Snooty dog owners hijacked NYC park for ‘private’ kennel club

Stealing a dog park. "Alpha dog owners hijacked a public Tribeca pup park nearly a decade ago — installing a lock, charging fees, banning non-member mutts, and enforcing its 22 rules with an iron fist — yet the city never noticed. Now, the Parks Department is trying to reclaim the dog run for the public, and the snooty pooch privateers are biting back. The Warren Street Dog Park was originally taken hostage by the Dog Owners of Tribeca (DOOT) in 2008 — after the 92-by-43-foot green space opened between Greenwich and West streets. A Parks Department rep admitted the takeover somehow “flew under the radar,” probably because the agency “never received any complaints.” Founders installed a keypad lock on the gate and sent members a secret 4-digit passcode after they paid a $120 annual fee over Paypal on the group’s Website. The code was updated every few months. Members were to live by 22 strict rules, the first being that non-members were not allowed into the park and members were mandated to chase them out if they tried. If members failed to do so, they were kicked out of the group."