Hello,

I'm new to the group, I found this website while researching a way to stop a dog park from being put in right next to my house.
We currently have an undeveloped 8 acre park right next to my house. I received a letter late last month saying they were going to use it temporarily (they say 3 months) for a dog park while the other dog park is being developed. I immediately got together with a neighbor and we designed a petition and had everyone in the neighborhood sign it. Well, needless to say it's been over 2 weeks and the letter has not been responded to in writing. In the meantime I've called 3 different people at the County who have been absolutely no help. They are over there as I type this installing double gates. The neighborhood children are being kicked out of the park to give it to the dogs.
This morning I went over to the park and took photos of two guys that come there every morning with 4 dogs.(yes, even though it isn't opened they have already started visiting) I took photos of them 1. Off leash in a park that is not yet an "off-leash" park, 2. Leaving the park without 3 of their dogs on leashes; 3. Empty handed (meaning they left the poop behind). I just spent almost an hour on the phone with the President of Dogpaw, trying to at least come to an agreement on a compromise, they could have part of the park and we could have part of the park, but she basically said they need all 8 acres. Too bad for the kids.
Now, I am a dog owner (a Boxer and a Pom) and I care very much about my dogs....so much that I won't take them to a dog park. I also have 4 kids who use that park to play in as well as all the other kids from the neighborhood. We also used that park to walk our dogs as did the rest of the neighborhood.

Any ideas on how to stop the park from using the space?

Thanks, Cindy

I think you have to start with making sure the people who sent you the original letter have the authority to make the park. If it is municiple land, and the town decides to use it for a dog park, they may be able to do so. At least it sounds like it is temporary. But it may be that it is in violation of the zoning ordinances, you have to find out. You live in a residential area, Maybe that lot is zoned residential, and cannot be used as a park, it is possible. If nothing else, you should be able to get the town to agree to time limits, so you don't have to hear barking late at night, and ask for a park worker to inforce health issues and leash regs in the area. In these cases, speaking to your councilperson can help, or going to the local press.

is there a local muncipal representative that your community (the people who elect them) can contact and work with?

I find it hard to believe in this economy that a city/county would spend the time and money to turn a park into a dog park for a few months. What happens when they suddenly don't have the funds to complete the other park?

Also, one of the main problems I see is that you're trying to overturn the decision of some elected or appointed official(s) after money has been committed and work commenced. Getting anyone like that to reverse themselves will take a lot.

I'd take a different approach that I think you'd have a better chance of winning. I'd argue that It's not fair to deprive the whole community of use a an 8-acre park in favor of one group. I'd work to get some neighborhood support and petition for restricted off-leash hours. There's a park in my city that has done that. Off-leash hours are from sunrise to 9:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. to sunset, 7 days a week; other typical dog park rules apply - clean up licensing, etc. Outside those specific hours, dogs must be on leash. The city was willing to try that for a few months and see what kind of community response they got. I went several times to check it out and found the people to be a lot more responsible than many of the stories I hear about dog parks. But it's still not a place I want to take my dog.

I wouldn't waste my time talking to a dog group. They've already got the decision they want. You need to lean on your local officials. You mention "the County" so to me that means you need to go straight to the County Supervisor for your district.

How about starting a website or blog to make it easier to spread the word and build some support? . . . and collect, document and photograph incidents and rule violations?

Mike

Sort of half-joking, half-serious but...see if you have a no-development, wingnut environmentalist group in your area and enlist their help. They love nothing better than a good fight with local government over land use. The power and influence these people wield in my neck of the woods is truly something to behold.

Thanks for all the ideas. I've e-mailed tons of people, not much response back. I'm actually thinking of collecting up a nice big bunch of poo and taking it down to the parks dept. head honcho. He seems to think there's no problem being right next to it! Seriously though, I'm at my wits end. I've actually e-mailed letters to everyone from the Mayor's office on down. I had a response from ONE council member who is the one that had DOGPAW contact me.
I seriously couldn't believe they are doing this. I received a letter from the Public Works Director that started out talking about our park and how they had to once again delay construction due to budget constraints. Blah Blah Blah for a page and a half then on the back of the page was the nice notice that they were going to temporarily relocate the interim off-lease dog park to our park until the permanent dog park was completed. They're trying to justify spending the money by saying the fire station that is going in where the temporary park was located is going to save a lot of money if they are allowed to start construction earlier. I pointed out that if they want to spend some of the money they are saving why not use it to begin construction on the new park? I realize that it is just a drop in the bucket to them but to spend 8K for a fencing for a 3 month period is crazy. They tried to tell me it was the fire station that was paying for it, I reminded them that the fire station is funded by taxpayer money therefore it is still public monies that are being used.

I did contact animal control and they are going to start patrolling the park more frequently. I also have three phone numbers to call when I see violators. Problem is this takes up a lot of my time. I work from home and I've lost a ton of working hours dealing with this mess.

I will give a go to split hours, since they didn't like the idea of a split park maybe they'll consider the split hours.

I'm also considering going towards the environmental impact, the Pres. of Dogpaw that I talked to told me that there are over 1000 dogs that will use the park....it hasn't been set up for any type of drainage nor are their plans. The runoff from that will drain into a system that goes to a stream. Imagine all that bacteria. I was reading up on a study they did in CA and the damage it caused there.

My dogs aren't used to all the traffic so they start up everytime someone is over there. I think my little pom made himself sick yesterday from running up and down the stairs all day long so he could bark out one window and then the other. I finally had to crate him to get him to calm down. (I'm sure the DOGPAW people would think me awful for that!) This is a dog that typically lays in his bed right beside my desk for the majority of the day. I pulled out the squirt bottle and that settled my boxer right down, she hates the thought of being squirted.


So...tomorrow the saga continues. The DOGPAW people sent a message to their membership tonight saying be careful, a park neighbor is taking pictures!

Cindy,

I support Mike's idea about regulated off lead hours and locations. It works very well in NYC. We are allowed off lead walks 9 PM to 9AM in most parks. I walk my social dog during off lead hours, and my unsocial ones at other times so I don't run into many off lead animals. It seems that the more responsible owners who have very good recall on their dogs are the ones who can make use of the off lead hours. The dogs are walked in areas with no fences, but removed from traffic.

If it is posible to file a formal request for an environmental impact statement because of the dog feces, that could stop the park in its tracks for years.

Hi,

Don't you have to then worry about all the dog feces that irresponsible owners don't pick up? I would have to go over and pick up all the messes before my kids could play in it everyday, and that would be not just cumbersome but plain nasty. They are estimating approx. 1000+ dogs using the 8 acre area. That's a whole lot of mess! Even if the feces is picked up that a whole lot of urine and after what I've been reading on the environmental impact of dog feces and urine in that concentrated of an area I can't imagine I'd want my child playing there. After this 3 month period is over they're going to have to do something to treat the area to make it uncontaminated. I've read that certain bacteria/disease can live in the soil for years.

I sent some information on the environmental issues last night to the one city councilwoman who answered me.

The good news is I did receive a call this morning and they have agreed to give us part of our park back. They said it won't be very big, probably only an acre or so, but it's a start.

Also, animal control was out bright and early this morning checking on things. He said he will visit the park a minimum of 6 times a day.

Funny thing here.....the Pres. of Dogpaw that I've been speaking too was certain that her members weren't offenders, it was just general public. Well, every morning for the last week the park has been very busy. Yesterday she sent a message out to her membership telling them not to use the park until it was ready and to watch out for the neighbor with the camera.

The park was empty this morning. Coincidence? I think not.

Side note.... I can't figure out how to add my dogs picture to the bottom??

People are actually quite responsible. If someone sees a dog defecating, and the owner does not notice, it is pointed out. We all know each other, and no-one wants to step in dog poop. Our area is about one half mile long and several hundred yards wide, I don't know how many acres that works out to, but I think it is well over 8 acres. We don't have a thousand dogs there, when I go I see at most 40 at any given time. My mom has 6 acres and if you put 1000 dogs there or in our area of the park, it would be wall-to wall dogs. Something doesn't sound right.

I do agree there are environmental issues, and at the least, you want to make sure people clean up, and the park is returned to the kids as soon as possible, especially as the weather warms.