The 72nd Street Dog Run is a permanent off-leash dog park in Riverside Park. It was officially opened in November 2004 through the efforts of FLORAL, an upper west side dog owner and park advocacy group.
FLORAL (Friends & Lovers Of Riverside Area Life) is the volunteer organization that has represented the community of dog owners in the south end of Riverside Park since 1995. We exclusively sponsor and maintain the 72nd Street Dog Run.
FLORAL is run by volunteers who are your neighbors. We are the organization that raised over $100,000 to build this facility; we need your continuing support involvement to carry on our work.
An affiliate of the Riverside Park Fund, we work closely with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and local officials. Our work for better off-leash recreational opportunities is just part of our effort to enhance the experience of living with dogs in NYC.
We promote responsible dog ownership and better off-leash opportunities, which improves the park for all park users. We encourage dog owners to be more conscientious about maintaining a positive dog/park culture and we educate the Parks Dept. and our community about the needs of dog owners and their pets.
As park volunteers, FLORAL encourages dog owners to be good park citizens. This, combined with our fund raising & political efforts, has enabled us to build one of the best off-leash areas in NYC!