Supporters
Press
January 12th, 2007, Telegram Tribune
Editorial: Let dog owners in Arroyo run with their idea
An increasing number of dog owners around the county have found that taking their pets to an off-leash park has made a positive difference in their dog’s behavior. Getting to romp, sniff and socialize with others is simply good fun that seems to put some pep in the old pup.
So we give the Five Cities Dog Park Association and Arroyo Grande Parks and Recreation Commission kudos for collaborating on creating an off-leash dog park — the first in the South County.
The association estimates that it will cost $11,500 to build the park on a 2.5-acre drainage basin that borders Oceano on Elm Street near The Pike. Plans call for fencing the site, improving a dirt road on the property, and adding an information kiosk, trash cans and Mutt Mitt dispensers for pooper scooping. It will take an additional $4,124 a year for maintenance.
What puts the wag in our tail about this plan is that all of the improvements and maintenance won’t cost taxpayers a dime; donations from area businesses, service clubs and the 200-member association will foot the bill.
"We understand the counties and the cities all have tight budgets," says Cynthia Eklund, a founding member of the association. "They don’t have the resources for making or maintaining additional parks." Good call.
Why the building interest in off-leash parks? For starters, letting Fido run free isn’t the same as taking him for a walk on the end of a leash, say experts.
"Walking (dogs) on a leash is not sufficient exercise," says veterinarian Nicholas Dodman. "It is not that they die if they walk on a leash, and it’s not that a human being dies in solitary confinement either. It is just that it is not optimal for their physiological and psychological well-being. It is important for a dog to be provided with natural outlets — to be able to run and exercise and chase things and do as a dog was bred to do." Like socializing with their canine kin.
Pending approval of a park maintenance plan that the association will prepare in the weeks ahead, we urge the Arroyo Grande City Council to give its approval for the park when it hears the proposal in late February.
This is an excellent example of what can happen when residents take responsibility for providing for special recreational needs, such as dog parks or community gardens, rather than looking to government to underwrite their desires.