Bark Silencer Found Facing into Dog Park in Babylon Village
On March 14th, dog owners discovered two devices nailed into trees facing the George Street Dog Park in Babylon Village. The devices were taken to a nearby electronics store and found to be a Good Life Max Dog Silencer and accessory. The Silencer emits an ultrasonic, high-pitched sound designed to stop dogs from barking.
The installation of the bark silencer continues a pattern of harassment and intimidation of people—and now dogs—who use the Village’s dog park at the end of George Street. Over the last several months, there have been reports of threats and obscenities yelled at park-goers and theft of community property in the dog park.
In January, the Village Board voted to close the George Street Dog Park because of complaints about noise from a nearby condominium complex. The Village intends to expand another dog park located about a mile away on Locust Avenue. The Locust Avenue dog run, however, is located in an isolated area, not visible from the street, and a few feet away from LIRR tracks that are elevated at least 20 feet above the dog run.
Dog owners have rallied to save the George Street Dog Park by creating a petition with more than 400 signatures on it. In addition, they have proposed moving the dog park further into the 4.5-acre property so it’s a respectful distance from the complex and adding noise-buffering solid fencing and landscaping. Unfortunately, the Mayor and Village Board have so far rejected dog owners’ pleas for a compromise that meets their needs as well as the broader community.
What You Can Do:
It’s important that the Mayor and Village Board take steps to stop the harassment of legal park-goers before the situation escalates further. Email the Mayor at mayor@villageofbabylonny.gov and the Village Board at info@villageofbabylonny.gov and ask them to make clear that harassment and intimidation of park-goers is not acceptable in any public park, including the George Street Dog Park.
Then, ask the Mayor and Village Board to listen to the pleas of dog owners and sit down in a good faith effort to come up with a compromise that will work for everybody.
For more information about the George Street Dog Park and the effort to save it, go to Kelly in Babylon or check out the George Street Dog Park Group on Facebook.
To sign the petition and share the petition with other Babylon Village dog owners, go to the Petition to Save the George Street Dog Park.
The dog owners and the dogs of the George Street Dog Park thank you!
Bark Silencer Found Facing into Dog Park in Babylon Village