A portrait of pets, parents, and the politics of city parks.
"For The Dogs" is a quirky slice-of-life from my home neighborhood - Astoria, Queens - where there's a long-simmering cold war of sorts between dog owners and parents of children. The basis of this "war" is park space because, for every 4,000 dogs in New York City, there's only one dog park on average and dogs are not allowed into most city park spaces assigned strictly for human use. Desperate to please their fur babies' need to exercise and socialize, dog owners have resorted to illegally invading child playgrounds and basketball courts, despite the risk of fines and neighborhood vitriol, while forming a community of aggrieved but well-meaning dog parents. While this issue exists throughout the city, "For The Dogs" centers on one such park-turned-battleground: Sean's Place.
