emailed to the coalition for offleash areas
Good morning,
I have long felt the offleash area at Magnuson Park was a good idea, and I was pleased to see the recent renovation and expansion of it: as I say, I like dogs.
However, I met with an incident today at the Magnuson Park OLA that makes me wonder if this is something that deserves my support.
I was walking with my children, aged 4 and 5, along the fence that borders the walkway from the parking area near Junior League Playground to the beach when I noticed the fence was in obvious disrepair. I noted to myself that I would need to take care, since my children are a little fearful of animals who seem to be the same height but are so unpredictable. Next I noticed that dogs were being permitted to jump the fence and run on the grassy meadow outside the OLA, and then others were being encouraged to jump the fence. Now, recall that I have young children with me and that I’m outside the OLA fence.
One dog owner told me I had nothing to fear, since her dogs — Vizhlas, they appeared to be — were friendly — in all my life, I’m not sure I have ever heard anyone tell me their offleash dog was an unpredictable killer and that I should take extreme care — and my response that young children are sometimes nervous of dogs and could she keep her dogs in the OLA. Her reply was that “dogs jump” with the implied message she was unwilling or unable to control her dogs as a responsible owner. I reminded her again that I was not in the offleash area, and her reply was that if it bothered me, I should go somewhere else, and she walked away, ignoring one of her dogs who was still outside the fence and focusing her attention on her human companion. I fervently hope she has no children to neglect as totally.
The dog did eventually make his way back into the OLA, but it was a teachable moment for my children: I got to explain that one of the reasons we have rules is because people can’t always think for themselves and do the right thing and that you have to take responsibility for your actions.
Now, as I said, I think the OLAs are a great idea and I think it’s a great place to take dogs and let them be themselves. I’m not prepared to let their owners act like self-absorbed jerks and let their dogs destroy the wildlife habitat or menace the public.
I will let the City know of the state of the fences at Magnuson — it won’t be the first time, but I was looking out for the welfare of the dogs while construction debris was about — and I will follow up to see that I can take my family there in safety.
I hope you can remind your OLA users that we all share the parks, and I’d like to see the off-leash areas flourish, as long as the owners don’t ruin it for the dogs.