Reading up on the city's current leash-law scuffle, we were bemused to learn that NYC Dog, the group fighting to keep off-leash time for New York's pooches, pronounces its name not, as you might expect, "N-Y-C Dog" but rather "Nice Dog!" Intrigued, we turned to our friend Google and soon had our answer: Yes, dog-loving New Yorkers are the corniest acronymists ever. The evidence:

• BARC: Brooklyn Animal Rescue, a Williamsburg adoption agency
• FIDO: Fellowship for the Interests of Dogs and their Owners, "serving Brooklyn's off-leash community"
• FLORAL: Friends & Lovers of Riverside Area Life, a group for dog owners who use the southern end of Riverside Park and the 72nd Street Dog Run
• DOGSI: Dogs' Owners Group of Staten Island, self-explanatory
• And, finally, Stray From the Heart, a Manhattan adoption agency, which is not an acronym but is ridiculous nonetheless.

— Hope Reeves

The Leash of Their Worries at Hearing [NYDN]
Free-Range Pups [NYM]