Alice’s Dog Park Sign
It’s up and beautiful. A tremndous round of applause, and hearty thanks, to Mary Clark-Camargo. Mary spent almost a year designing and creating the sign, using mosaics.
Mary can be commissioned to do a mosaic of your dog. Check her site for details.
Water Stations
The Parks Department installed two water stations. They’re large spots with pea gravel and surrounded with a border.
The large dog area has two, both along the east side, a few feet from
the fence. The small dog area has one, also on the east side, along
the concrete path.
Poop Bag Dispensers
There’s a new poop bag dispenser along the southwest area of the large park; the small dog area has a new one along the south end.
Bulletin Board
The city has ordered a weather proof bulletin board and I’m
guessing it will be delivered and installed in late September.
Dogs and Diseases
We’ve heard legitimate reports of dogs becoming sick after visiting the park (as well as many far-fetched rumors, such as one person – who should know better – claiming a dog was killed in an attack at the park). It’s very disturbing to us – and to anyone using the park.
In an ideal world, the park should be a safe haven. That’s not the reality. Common sense — and park rules — require that dogs have up-to-date vaccinations; however, even that might not stop your dog from picking up a disease. This issue, really, comes down to risk assessment and personal responsibility; unfortunately, no one – the City, POOCH, or PHS – has a 100% risk-free answer.
Responsible Owners
Most of us are, and most of the park’s regulars are, too. But…
We’ve seen children and adults walking barefoot. We watch owners chuckling while watching their dogs “dig” into the water dish; we’ve heard of dopey owners detaching the water dish hose and spraying off their dogs.
Last summer, one person, Pasadena city councilman Paul Little, no less, brought his two big white dogs and immediately plunked down on a bench in the far northwest corner of the park. He was busy reading a newspaper and had to be told that two pounds of poop was available for pickup at the other side of the park.
Since then, Paul has been seen to be on track, picking up poop like the rest of us.
We’re dumbfounded by a woman who walks in with three dogs, instantly turns her back on them and then starts yacking on her cell phone. (We alerted her to her dog’s poop, but really hoped she’d have stepped in it.)
The message? It’s pretty clear. Be smart. Think responsibility. Use common sense.
POOCH Police
We’re not. And we’re as frustrated as you are with some of the unpleasant parts of the dog park: aggressive dogs, smelly trash receptacles, standing water, soggy sod, ill dogs, and inconsiderate owners. But please remember that we’re four volunteers fielding dozens of e-mails (some quite angry), with no powers and, as witnessed with park improvement issues, little influence.