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COURIER L 24 IFE, OCT. 9-15, 2020
City shutters Manhattan
Beach Dog Run after
kennel cough spike
RUFF TIMES: Pups at a dog run in Kensington. On Oriental Boulevard, the Manhattan Beach
Dog Run temporarily closed to stem a spread of kennel cough. File photo by Paul Martinka
BY JESSICA PARKS
The city’s Parks Department shuttered
Manhattan Beach’s namesake
dog run for one week at the request of a
local veterinarian after multiple cases
of kennel cough were linked to the play
space.
An Oct. 3 Facebook post on the dog
park’s dedicated social media page
alerted locals to the dog run’s closure,
which came after Dr. Jeffrey Stein
of Manhattan Beach Animal Clinic
penned a letter to the city agency on
Sept. 29, alerting offi cials that a number
of his canine patients had come
down with the virus since visiting the
Manhattan Beach Dog Run.
“There has been an excessive
amount of cases of the upper respiratory
infection in dogs known as kennel
cough,” Stein wrote in the letter.
“This issue started occurring about
10 days ago when dogs were experiencing
symptoms of diarrhea, really bad
cough and fever presented at Manhattan
Beach Animal Clinic.”
A dog belonging to a friend of one of
Dr. Stein’s technicians fi rst came down
with the virus around Sept. 19. Days
later, the technician said her own dog
contracted kennel cough after also using
the space on Oriental Boulevard.
“About two to three days after, my
dog got it and then it just started becoming
a whole pandemic,” said Alice Machensky,
who works with Dr. Stein. “My
other friends’ dogs were getting it and
other people going to that dog park.”
Since his offi ce’s initial case, the
southern Brooklyn animal doctor says
he’s treated nearly 25 dogs in a threeweek
span — all of whom are believed
to have contracted the kennel cough
from socializing at the dog run, which
has been closed as of Oct. 2, approximately
one week after Dr. Stein sent
his letter to Parks.
“Since then the cases of this bacterial
infection has (sic) drastically
risen due to an open playground (dog
park) on Manhattan Beach and lack of
vaccination among dogs,” Dr. Stein’s
letter reads.
While the vet recommends closing
the dog run for two to three weeks to
prevent the epidemic from further
spreading, the Parks Department
plans to reopen the park on Oct. 10 —
contrary to Dr. Stein’s warnings.
“The park would have to be closed
for about 2-3 weeks in order to prevent
this epidemic from spreading and
signs should be posted to alert the public,”
the animal doctor said.
A Parks Department spokeswoman
contends that the dog run has been
fully sanitized and will be hosed down
two more times before it is expected to
reopen over the upcoming weekend.
“We emphasize the safety and health
of all of our parkgoers, including our
four-legged friends. Out of an abundance
of caution and by the recommendation
of a local veterinarian, we closed
the dug run last Friday and thoroughly
cleaned and sanitized the area,” said
Anessa Hodgson. “We plan to reopen
the dog run by this weekend.”
Machensky, who played a major role
in advocating for the play space’s temporary
closure, said she is glad that the
Parks Department took action to protect
the safety of the city’s four-legged
residents, but worries the week-long
quarantine might not be enough to end
the area’s kennel cough epidemic.
“You can disinfect and stuff, a bacterial
infection doesn’t just go away,”
Machensky said. “Maybe the week
will do something, but we can only
wait and see, to be honest.”
Symptoms of kennel cough in canines
include a strong cough, often
with a “honking” sound, a runny nose,
sneezing, lethargy, and a loss of appetite,
according to the American Kennel
Club, which states that, while uncommon,
kennel cough can — in rare
cases — be passed from animals to
humans. The highly contagious virus
can be warded off with the Bordetella
vaccine.
Dr. James DiGiuseppi DC
8214-13th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11228
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During this period, you can sign up for
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This project was supported by a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.