Among hoots, hollers, and applause, advocates on both sides of a proposal to formally allow dogs to roam free in city parks presented their cases at a public hearing yesterday held by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

If passed, the amendment to the city health code would allow for the continuation of a longstanding but unofficial New York City Department of Parks and Recreation policy that permits dog owners to unleash their pets in city parks between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.

Advocates favoring the proposed amendment rallied with their pooches outside the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene’s offices at 125 Worth St. before the hearing.

The proposal comes after a community organization in Queens, the Juniper Park Civic Association, brought a lawsuit against the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in an attempt to squash the off-leash policy.

Inside the auditorium, emotions flared as advocates on both sides of the issue took the podium to testify.

“This proposal is absurd, and to implement it is criminal negligence,” a member of the Juniper Park Civic Association, Robert Doocey, said. “The city wouldn’t consider a proposal to allow fireworks in parks. Unleashing dogs is no different.”

Mr. Mooney went further, saying “all dogs are potentially dangerous” and that proponents of the amendment are “elevating dogs as superior to humans.” He left the podium to a round of applause.

Several others also testified against the proposal, telling horror stories of unleashed dogs attacking them at city parks. Michael Chimenti of Queens said he has been attacked on two different occasions while riding his bike.

Most of the about 40 people who spoke at the hearing, however, were in favor of the amendment.

In a common theme at the hearing, advocates argued that a healthy and safe dog needs socialization and exercise.

“Many studies confirm that dogs who get off-leash exercise are much less aggressive and can cope with their surroundings,” the president of the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups, Bob Marino, said. “With few dog runs, off-leash park activity is the best way to tire and socialize dogs.”

A certified animal behavior consultant, Parvene Farhoody, said dog bites have dropped dramatically in New York City since a parks commissioner, Henry Stern, instituted the off-leash policy 20 years ago. She also said that only 2.2% of all dog bites around the country occur in parks.

One advocate of the proposal scoffed at the tales of dog violence.”Those who have a propensity to get bit need to be trained to co-exist with animals,” the director of the Companion Animal Network, Garo Alexanian, said. “All dogs can be manipulated. Can we say that about humans?”

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will review the testimony, and a decision on the proposal is expected in mid-December.