The last enclosed park in walking distance from my house has replaced the signs saying ‘Cleanup After Your Dog’ for ‘No Dogs Allowed’. This happened less than a month after we met with DPR representatives at a Friends of 16th Street Heights Parks meeting.
I guess then that is true the comments about DPR’s love for dogs. They just do not want dogs to touch their properties. Soon there will be no green space in the city where we could legally take dogs.
Cleo
The Examiner just published an article on Dan Greenberg’s plight. I did not realize there are two laws on the books, one of which dates back to pre-Home Rule days. That law uses the criminal code to punish dog owners. I’m curious about the history of that law and why it wasn’t struck from the books along with many of the other ludicrous laws from that time.
DCist has a short piece covering the issue (and mentioning us).
Both offer readers opportunities to comment on the issue.
As we struggle against DC’s crackdown on dog owners and work to find safe, legal, local places to exercise our dogs, it’s worth taking a look at the services our city provides to other taxpayers. According to DPR, the city maintains:
800 acres of park land, boasting more than 300 parks and 75 playgrounds. We also have more than 150 basketball and tennis courts, numerous ball fields, and 33 swimming pools.
They do not provide detailed statistics outside of that blurb, but think of your own neighborhood. What parks and recreational facilities does the city provide within a reasonable walk of your house? I can walk to two tennis courts, four basketball courts, two swimming pools, many general use parks, and a somewhat run-down horseshoe pitch. If I’m feeling sprightly, I can walk a little further and break an ankle in a skateboard park.
Washington CityPaper writer Dave McKenna wrote a biased and shit-obsessed article casting dog owners versus baseball players. His disdain for dog owners was clear in the article, but we also corresponded with him and got further details. He was surprised that dog park owners feel the city should provide dog parks. He viewed that as an excessive, incomprehensible view. He did not give a second thought to why citizens who like baseball should be entitled to numerous baseball fields within walking distance of their homes, but he found the notion that citizens who like dogs should have parks to be absurd.
He also told us he wrote the article mainly so he could use the word “poop” over and over again, which puts his juvenile rantings somewhat in perspective. But his attitude is shared by many who have covered this issue. Listen to Janetta on Kojo Naamdi’s show for a fine example.
Opponents of dog parks throw around words like “extreme” and “entitled” as if dog owners are lobbying for gold-plated pissing posts, but our real desires are reasonable. We are no more entitled to city services than are baseball, basketball and soccer players, folks who like to swim, play horseshoes or skate on little ramps. But we are also no less entitled than those fellow citizens. We want safe, legal places near our homes where we can exercise our dogs.
