Pets, owners enjoy new TriBeCa dog park

Dog lover Michael Lytle of TriBeCa says his relatives in Missouri roll their eyes when he tells them he is taking his pooch Goody, a corgi, to the "dog park."

"They don't love dogs like we do here in Manhattan," said Lytle, 68, who was visiting TriBeCa's new dog park that overlooks the Hudson River, surrounded by lush green lawns and wild flower gardens.

"This is very nice," he said, watching Goody run through the park's water sprinklers. "He just makes everybody smile."

Goody and 10 other dogs jumped, barked and chased each other around the new fenced park -- a 95-foot-long and 60-foot-wide strip of soft synthetic surface that is part of the larger Hudson River Park.

The dog park, located off Warren Street between the Westside Highway and the Hudson River, was built with private donations and public funds and is part of the Hudson River Park Trust. It opened earlier this month. It's among a handful of dog parks that have popped up in recent years in some of the city's most well-heeled neighborhoods with enough amenities to please even the most pampered Manhattan dogs and owners.

Dogs can run free through water sprinklers specially made for them while their owners lounge on contoured park benches with a smooth redwood finish. All-weather umbrellas provide shade for the owners while they watch their pooches climb on man-made rock formations made especially for dogs.

It's one of 60 dog parks citywide, almost half of them in Manhattan, that give dogs of every shape and size a break from the cramped spaces they often share with their owners.

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The park's designer, Signe Nielsen, said for at least 15 years she has watched dogs and their owners use parks and admits human needs are just as important as those of dogs when designing a new one.

Its waterfront location with the comfy benches and water fountains "make the park a destination that gives it a feel that both dog and owner can escape that boxed-in feeling we get when living in the city," she said.

Peering over the dog fence was German tourist Max Dockhorn, 33, of Hamburg.

"I've just had a small glimpse and what I see is that it is quite luxurious here in New York. In Hamburg we just have a fenced-in area with grass."

The park is not so much a luxury as it is a much-needed relief for dogs and their owners, said Denise Shaw, 60, of Manhattan, who was with Shelby, her German shepherd.

"Listen, New Yorkers are nuts about their dogs," said Shaw. "It's a real commitment and responsibility. These parks are a necessity and I'm grateful for them."