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Dedicated to keeping pets out of shelters.
Front row from left: Louise Symonds, run steward, Edna Wolf, head of the Pet
Assisted Therapy Program at St Vincent's Hospital, Jim Smith, chair of Community Board 2, Aubrey Lees, chair of the CB2 Parks
committee and head of the CB2 Task Force for People Who Wants More Dog Runs. Back
row: Lynn Pacifico, President of the Dog Owners Action Committee (DOAC), Richard Woodson, Robin's brother.
Dedication ceremony for the Robin Kovary
Run for Small Dogs in Washington Square Park in New York City, June 29, 2004.
Robin Kovary (1957 – 2001), renowned dog trainer and behaviorist, had a vision of establishing dog runs throughout NYC. It is her work
that is responsible for the first Washington Square Park Dog Run. 1n 1987 Robin co-founded the New York City Coalition for Dogs, a not-for-profit
group whose primary goal was to establish enclosed, legal dog runs throughout NYC. She was instrumental in getting dog runs
established throughout many areas of Manhattan, and assisted in helping many
communities in other areas of the country.
An active animal-assisted therapy coordinator and
volunteer for more than 10 years, she was responsible for introducing animal assisted therapy programs to St. Lukes/Roosevelt
Hospitals and St.
Vincent's
Hospital and the Young
Adult Institute. As a result of her work, pet therapy is now legal in all acute care hospitals in NY
State. This accomplishment continues to bring joy and healing.
Passionate about helping dogs, Robin founded several organizations dedicated
to dog training. She created a prize winning website devoted to helping dog guardians cope with the needs of their pets. She
gave her time to anyone in need of canine advice through her free phone help line, appeared on hundreds of TV shows, wrote
books and numerous magazine articles, lectured and gave dog training classes. She visited schools to teach dog safety to young
students, trained dogs for professional work and to help rescued dogs find homes.
She is dearly missed by all who knew her. It is in support of her work,
and with deep respect and appreciation for all she did to improve the quality of life for dogs and their people
that we named this run in her memory.
Robin Kovary at Washington Square Park's Dog Day
carnival.
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Most
of what I know about dogs I learned from other owners at a run. Visits to the dog run were a vitally important part of our day. My dogs are city dogs. A dog run is the only place dogs are legally allowed off-leash and therefore the only place
that we can practice off-leash training. Not having
an adequate safe run prevents me from properly training my dogs. This
concerns the entire community since you do not need to own a dog yourself – if there is a dog living in your apartment
building – you live with a dog. A run is just as essential to a good quality of life for a community as playgrounds and ball fields.
Harry and Beenie greeting guests.
It
seems like it was only yesterday that I agreed to foster a wild, very difficult to handle 4 month old husky mix. As studies show that socialized dogs are better behaved, I brought
him to our local run. Within 10 days of run use all of his behavior problems vanished. He just needed a place to play and
socialize and get out all that puppy energy. I
fell in love with him, decided to keep him and named him Sir Henry Wolf (Harry). That was September 12, 1992.
3/92 - 7/20/05
Why buy a dog when these treasures are available and in need of a guardian? (Been was on her last day at
the pound when I adopted her.) If you are wanting a particular breed of dog (or cat, rabbit, bird, etc) go to www.petfinder.com and click the breed you are looking for. You will be amazed at what you find
Beenie on her back.
At the age of 7 Harry fell in love with a stray I was fostering named “Been
There” and we added her to our family.
Frier Tuck was a stray till Harry, Been and I adopted him. He is a sweet cuddly protective bear
of a dog who was know as "Mr. Bones" when he lived on the streets in Queens. No one wanted him.
Harry with Daisey Rosebud (1980 - 1998.)
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