Are there any problems with dogs in NY? Any special places for them?

Question

Is it allowed to walk with my dog wherever i want or not?

Answer 1

Dogs are supposed to be kept on a leash. There are "dog runs" in some parks where you can let your dog off the leash. You are supposed to pick up your dog droppings - you can get fined for failure to do so. Dogs are not allowed in restaurants, but dogs are usually allowed if you sit outside.

Here are Manhattan parks that have dog runs:
Manhattan Dog Runs Address
Coleman Oval Park Pike and Monroe Streets
Carl Schurz Park (2 runs) East End Ave To East River from Gracie Square (East 84th St) To 89th St
DeWitt Clinton Park West 52nd & West 54th St, between 10th & 11th Aves
Fish Bridge Park Dover St between Pearl & Water St
Fort Tryon Park Margaret Corbin Drive, Washington Heights
Inwood Hill Park Dyckman St and Payson Ave
J. Hood Wright Fort Washington & Haven Aves, West 173rd St
Madison Square Park Madison Ave To 5th Ave between East 23rd St & East 26th St
Morningside Park Morningside Avenue between 114th and 119th Streets
Riverside Park (3 runs)

Dog Owners' Guide to Riverside Park
Riverside Dr at West 72nd, West 87th, West 105th
Robert Moses Park 41st & 42nd Sts At 1st Ave
Peter Detmold Park West of FDR Dr, between East 49th & East 51st Sts
Theodore Roosevelt Park Central Park West at West 81st St
Thomas Smith Park 11th Ave, West 22nd to West 23rd Sts
Tompkins Square Park 1st Ave To Ave B, from East 7th to East 10th Sts
Washington Square Park 5th Ave, Waverly Place, West 4th St, between McDougal & Thompson Sts, south side of the park (behind building)
Union Square Dog Run 15th St & Union Sq

Answer 2

You can walk your dog wherever you want when you're on the sidewalk. The dog MUST be on a leash at all times. You will see some people that walk their dogs off a leash but they are risking a fine and their dogs life. You cannot take the dog on public transportation unless it fits in a carrier/bag or it's a service dog.

The person above listed places that dogs can run free but there are still 'rules' inside dog runs. You need to keep your eye on your dog and pick up after it, keep it out of fights, etc.. A lot of dog runs I've been in do not allow dog toys since fights can start over them. Some dog runs have rules about what size dog can go where. Tompkins Square Park in the East Village has 2 dog runs, one for all dogs and another for smaller dogs under a certain weight. It's obviously for safety reasons if you have a very tiny dog that you don't want to have squashed by huge dogs.