It is with a good deal of issue that I attend to the May 10 memorandum and suggestion from Kendra Krysazak, supervisor of parks and public areas, to council, that extra locations of the Marshall Field off-leash dog park be fenced for unique usage of the Vernon Baseball Association, and gotten rid of from usage by the dog owners of the City of Vernon.
I ask you to think about the following:
1. The off-leash dog location is utilized throughout all daytime hours, 7 days each week, for 52 weeks each year by dog owners to work out and mingle their family pets. It is my understanding that the baseball association utilizes their diamonds around 3 hours on weekday nights and as much as 6 hours on weekends, for around 14 weeks each year. Patently, the proposed extra fenced location has far higher energy each year for dogs/owners than for viewers of the ballgame.
2. The existing bleachers in the dog park neglecting the diamonds are grossly underutilized by the viewers. Often, they are entirely unused throughout video games. Instead, the viewers expanded lawn-chairs, umbrellas and blankets and put up big shade-tents in the off-leash location, consequently intruding on the dog location. On May 23, dog owners experienced 4 big shade camping tents put up in the off leash location, plus 2 sets of viewers playing catch well into the dog-walking location.
3. On numerous events dog walkers – myself consisted of – have actually needed to duck from nasty balls strike into the off-leash location. Invariably, the dog owners cheerfully toss those balls back into play, without grievance.
4. Ball viewers grumble about dogs chasing after balls. They are dogs in a dog park. Dogs chase balls. Why are the balls in the dog park?
5. Spectators grumble about off-leash dogs, dogs urinating on blankets and chair legs. I describe comment 2 above – the blankets and chairs are in fact in the off-leash dog location. Dogs urinate all over in the off-leash location.
6. I even more mention that often, after video games, we see the dog park premises, nearby to the diamonds, cluttered by sunflower seed (Spitz) shells, which cannot be absorbed by dogs, with chewing gum, and with uncollected litter.
7. Often, the car park gates are left open when ball equipment is being gone back to cars, such that dogs can go out into the car park.
8. One letter of grievance, from the Vanderveldes, describes a dog leaping up at their kid’s raised arms and “biting” him (they later on note that the “bite” was a red mark, not broken skin). That is really a regrettable occasion, which dog must have been managed by its owner, however it was off-leash in a recommended off-leash location, so care needs to be taken by both sides.
9. Our family, like numerous other Vernon households, have actually utilized Marshall Field Off Leash Dog Park since it was designated as such several years back, and throughout that time the variety of aggressive interactions in between dogs and human beings might be relied on less than the fingers of one hand. When dogs are off-leash, they are calmer and more placid and patently less aggressive.
I respectfully recommend the following:
1. That viewers utilize the existing bleachers, already there for their unique usage.
2. That shade camping tents be enabled however be put up nearby to the existing fences, rather that being put up even more into the park or behind the bleachers, as is done currently (and from which the video games cannot be quickly viewed).
3. That all park users – ball gamers, viewers and family pet owners – gather all of their garbage and utilize the various containers offered.
4. That the gain access to gates be shut after entry and exit.
5. That viewers regard that they are being in a dog park, not a baseball field.
I send that fencing the proposed extra locations of the dog park is unjust to the bulk users of the park and produces a loss of facility, and $45,000 of unneeded expense.
This lovely parkland location can be gladly and easily shared by both kinds of users and family pet owners and ball fans can co-exist with a little co-operation, without developing extra physical separation.
Peter Moore
@VernonNews
[email protected]
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