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The life 
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Warren Swil
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

V 1

 

by Warren Swil

Glendale News-Press September 17, 1999

This recommendation was approved by the Parks & Recreation Commission. Will Glendale be the last city in the region to offer its residents a safe, hygienic place to exercise their pets?

Los Angeles already has several dog parks, one as close as Silver Lake. Pasadena and Burbank are moving resolutely forward on creating theirs with widespread community support and backing from the respective city councils. Glendale should not finish last, even though it is starting there. 

Iacono’s report speaks for itself. “There is a need in Glendale to recognize and respond to the legitimate needs of dog owners. The city provides many different recreational activities in its parks and other recreational facilities. It seems appropriate to attempt to find a way to satisfy the needs of Glendale dog owners.”

This is unambiguous language that with uncommon clarity undermines the report’s recommendation. “Community support is critical to the success of these projects,” Iacono says. “We know from research that off-leash dog parks are supported by dog owners and non-dog owners because of the safety and health reasons associated with dog activity in parks.”

This is confirmed by the city’s tally of calls received on the subject; of a total of 80, only two were opposed to a dog park. Letters to the editor appearing on the Community Forum page exhibit overwhelming support for such a project.  Another section of the report estimates that the cost of developing basic dog use facilities in an existing neighborhood or community park would be about $1,500 for waste removal dispensers, trash cans and signage. 

This doesn’t seem prohibitive. Of course if new land were to be purchased for an off-leash dog park, the cost rises astronomically to about $360,000 for a 3-acre park.  But surely the needs of dog owners could be accommodated somewhere between these two extremes. The city collects $158,000 a year in dog license fees. 

Iacono suggests this could become a source of funding for an off-leash park. He’s right. This would be the best place to look for money, and just a small portion of it allocated over two or three years would pay for a sizable piece of an existing park to be set aside for dog owners. A license surcharge or private contributions also seem a viable option. 

More than 75% of those who called City Hall indicated a willingness to pay something for the creation of a new facility. “Off-leash dog parks appear to be the best viable solution to the inherent conflict between legitimate needs of dog owners -- and the equally legitimate needs of citizens who supported the adoption of the leash law,” Iacono states unequivocally. 

There is an average of one dog for every seven households in Glendale. Although dogs don’t vote, their owners do. Elected officials can do arithmetic: If each dog has an average of two owners who vote, that could make the difference between retirement and reelection for any member of the Glendale City Council.