It is with a lot of issue that I resolve 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 annually. 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 ignoring the diamonds are grossly underutilized by the viewers. Often, they are totally unused throughout video games. Instead, the viewers expanded lawn-chairs, umbrellas and blankets and put up big shade-tents in the off-leash location, thus trespassing on the dog location. On May 23, dog owners saw 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 celebrations 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 problem.
4. Ball viewers grumble about dogs going 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 really in the off-leash dog location. Dogs urinate all over in the off-leash location.
6. I even more explain that often, after video games, we see the dog park premises, surrounding 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 parking area gates are left open when ball equipment is being gone back to automobiles, such that dogs can go out into the parking area.
8. One letter of problem, from the Vanderveldes, describes a dog leaping up at their child’s raised arms and “biting” him (they later on note that the “bite” was a red mark, not broken skin). That is genuinely 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 should 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 earlier, and throughout that time the variety of aggressive interactions in between dogs and people 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 use the existing bleachers, already there for their unique usage.
2. That shade camping tents be permitted however be put up surrounding 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 seen).
3. That all park users – ball gamers, viewers and family pet owners – gather all of their garbage and utilize the many containers supplied.
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 stadium.
I send that fencing the proposed extra locations of the dog park is unjust to the bulk users of the park and develops a loss of facility, and $45,000 of unneeded expense.
This stunning 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 producing extra physical separation.
Peter Moore
@VernonNews
[email protected]
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