Volume 3

Volume 3, Issue 3

International Parti Poodle Gazette

July 2007

TAKE BACK THE PARKS!

Author: Honey Loring, Fool-for-Dogs
Founder, Camp Gone to the Dogs®
dogcrazy@svcable.net
802/387-5673

On a city park trail

A trip to Florida one winter in which “NO DOGS ALLOWED” was the loud and clear dictum both angered and inspired me to put together this plan.

THE STICK

Reading Gina Spadafori’s Dogs for Dummies provided me with the thought that, “Hey, we dog lovers are tax payers!” The towns and counties we live in provide all sorts of recreational facilities for their tax payers: playgrounds, golf courses, swimming pools, beaches with lifeguards, walking, biking, and jogging paths, tennis courts, etc. As taxpayers, we are entitled to get our share of the recreational pie and that means a park area for dogs or access to beaches, trails, etc., and also places to let our dogs be off-lead.

THE CARROT . . . MONEY

Following established procedures of paying for use (e.g., fishing and hunting licenses, renting a campsite in a state park), I propose that dog lovers pay a fee for use. Perhaps this could be $50 a year per dog or $100 per household. (A few work-trade incentives could exist for people who could clean the area in lieu of the fee.) In exchange, you and your dog would have access to a beach, or perhaps the fees accrued could be used to build a dog park. The dogs thus “permitted” would wear an easily visible jacket (could be as simple as a greyhound racing-type jacket) which would make it easy to see that this pooch was allowed to be in that area. It might say something like “Lucky Dog” or “Canine Beach Bum” or whatever. An easily seen jacket is better than a tag because a tag is too difficult to see. Only dogs with these jackets would be allowed to use the facility. Each year with the renewal fee a different color jacket would be issued.

Playing in the surf

HOW TO GET STARTED

First, I would go to all of the veterinarians and get a count of how many dogs exist in that town or county (versus the license list which is just a small percentage of the dog population). For instance, say there were 10,000 dogs in the area. If only ten percent of the owners opted for this license, that would be 1,000 x $50 equals $50,000. Not bad. The money could go to construct the area (if necessary) and then provide or maintain whatever was needed (fencing, jackets, poop buckets, bags, etc.). There would probably be some left over for profit for the town. Money talks!

Next, I would get very organized with a group of like-minded individuals and present the plan to the powers-that-be in the town or county. Have the facts and figures on paper with plenty of copies for all. Use colored paper (light blue is good) to attract and keep attention.

ADDRESS ARGUMENTS AGAINST DOGS

There are reasons dogs are unwelcome in many places: irresponsible people have let their dogs defecate anywhere and everywhere and not picked it up; many dogs are allowed to run loose, chasing joggers, biting people and other dogs, killing livestock, and causing property damage. These concerns will need to be addressed.

Perhaps, for example, the beach could be available to dog lovers only at certain times in the summer, say before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Anyone paying for a dog permit must agree in writing to pick up all poop and that their dogs will be under control at all times. Any aggression resulting in harm to other animals, property, or people will mean automatic forfeiture of their license.

At a state park in Virginia

MONITORING DOG AREAS

Since we dog lovers so much want the chance to walk our dogs unleashed on beaches and have a large, safe, fenced area for them to play in, it would behoove us to be our own enforcement agency. Anyone whose dog was not wearing the special jacket would be told they do not have the privilege to be in the area, just as a person cannot fish or hunt without a license. Anyone’s dog with a jacket not living up to the rules would be reprimanded, fined, and/or would immediately lose the use of the permit for that year. I also believe that mainly only responsible dog owners would be willing to pay money for such a license which would cut down on the problems that created “No Dogs Allowed” in the first place.

Stacey Hawk, the co-founder of Wiggly Field in Chicago (Isn’t that a fabulous name!) is very active nationally in the dog park movement. The dog park hotline in Chicago is 312-742-DOGS and the website is www.dawgsite.org. Her committee includes a no-dog owner co-chair, which I think goes a long way toward maintaining good community relations.

There you have it. Take back your rights as a dog owner and “go for the gusto” – unleashed outdoor fun with your dogs!

Copyright 2005, Honey Loring