On the first Friday of Ramadan, as practicing Muslims gather for Tarawih prayers in the heart of Times Square, New York’s dog owners and animal lovers plan a takeover of their own. From 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, the “Times Square Dog Lovers Gathering” will flood the plaza with paws and positivity in what’s being billed as a full-blown “pawty.” Yes, while prayer mats roll out, leashes are coming too.

And honestly? It’s magnificent. With the call to prayer echoing across Manhattan and organizers choosing Times Square—the global billboard of New York—over traditional mosques for their display, the message was loud and clear: a claim of space. New Yorkers, in classic form, are responding by reclaiming it… with Labradors and pugs. Wars don’t always start with tanks; sometimes they start with who gets the sidewalk. Leave it to dogs to spark a civic wake-up call.

As previously reported, this canine counter-movement was triggered after a Palestinian activist allied with Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared that New York was “coming to Islam,” adding that dogs are “unclean” and shouldn’t be allowed in homes. Nothing motivates a city faster than telling it to get rid of its pets.

The event—described as a peaceful dog walk and protest—has exploded in popularity and is being promoted everywhere. Some participants are even encouraging people to bring pet pigs, just in case anyone missed the point.

Call it civil disobedience with chew toys. It’s New York saying, loud and clear, that this city belongs to everyone—including the four-legged residents. And in a place that thrives on freedom and diversity, there’s nothing more American than standing your ground… on a leash.