Hollister, Morgan Hill owners long for off-leash dog park
While Morgan Hill dog owners are fund-raising for an off-leash
dog park, Frank Klauer Memorial Park has become a popular
destination for dog owners in Hollister. The 5-acre park in the
Sunnyslope residential area has a big yellow bowl, a jug of water
and a dispenser with doggie bags to clean up after canines. But
city officials said the park is not a dog park though many
residents have mistaken it for one.
”
People have taken it as a dog park,
”
said Marcelo Orta, a parks supervisor in Hollister.
”
It’s really a retention pond for flooding. That’s the reason we
have the fencing.
”
Hollister, Morgan Hill owners long for off-leash dog park
While Morgan Hill dog owners are fund-raising for an off-leash dog park, Frank Klauer Memorial Park has become a popular destination for dog owners in Hollister. The 5-acre park in the Sunnyslope residential area has a big yellow bowl, a jug of water and a dispenser with doggie bags to clean up after canines. But city officials said the park is not a dog park though many residents have mistaken it for one.
“People have taken it as a dog park,” said Marcelo Orta, a parks supervisor in Hollister. “It’s really a retention pond for flooding. That’s the reason we have the fencing.”
A large portion of the grassy area in the park is enclosed by a chain link fence.
“Some people leave [dogs] off the leash and they do that in the fenced area,” Orta said.
The gate to the fence is left open during times with warm, sunny weather, such as the past week but when storms are forecast the fence is locked.
“During the rainy season, we try to keep it locked when we have to,” Orta said. “During the summer, we open up the gates so people can play baseball.”
Despite the doggy bag dispenser at the park, Orta said the maintenance employees sometimes have problems caused by people who don’t clean up after their pets.
“We are having a lot of trouble with our mower operators,” Orta said. “It is a problem because people let dogs poop and it’s not picked up.”
Patrick Lampe, a local realtor, donated the doggy bag dispenser and spends time patrolling the park, Orta said.
“He’s always there.”
An animal control supervisor emphasized that there is not currently an area in Hollister for dogs to run off leash.
“All dogs in the city have to be on a leash,” said Julie Carreiro, a supervisor with animal control. “Even in your front yard, if you live in city limits, and the dog is not enclosed, it needs to be on a leash.”
In its municipal code, Hollister has a law against dogs that are “running at large.” To comply with the law dogs can be “under restraint by a substantial leash, chain, strap or cord, not to exceed eight feet in length, attached to their collars and actually held by an able bodied person or made to fast to some stationary object.”
“I am not aware of any problems at Frank Klauer park,” Carreiro said. “No one is calling in and complaining about the dogs.”
With limited staff, animal control deals with dogs that are off-leash mainly when they get calls complaining about vicious dogs or dogs on the loose.
“They can receive an infraction or citation that carries a fine at the courthouse,” Carreiro said.
The leash law is meant to be a protection to pets, humans and a way to control rabies.
“Dogs that aren’t on leashes can cause accidents,” Carreiro said. “People can loose their dogs if they are not on a leash. They can get frightened and run off.”
While Frank Klauer Memorial is not a dog park now, the city’s park master plan has identified a need for specialized parks which inlcude an off-leash dog area, equestrian and aquatic facilities, and a BMX area.
“Animal control definitely wants to have a specific dog park that is enclosed and has certain rules,” Carreiro said.
Morgan Hill dog owners have decided not to wait for a city funded dog park, but have taken matters into their own hands with the approval of city officials. The Morgan Hill Dog Owners Group is raising $75,000 to open an off leash dog park by summer 2006. A Valentine’s Day formal at the Morgan Hill Community Center Friday served as their most recent fundraiser.
The group members see the park as a win-win for dogs and owners. Morgan Hill has a similar leash law to that of Hollister so the park would provide a place for dogs to run free, getting more exercise than they generally get on a leash. The park also allows dogs to interact with other dogs. The group members believe that dogs that are better exercised are better behaved at home and in their neighborhoods.
The members’ vision for the park includes a well-fenced area with plenty of grass and granite gravel, areas for large and small dogs, and plenty of waste removal bags. The park will feature special entry and exit spaces that will eliminate the possibility of a dog escaping out of the park without its owner.
In the meantime, Hollister residents will have to wait for the park master plan to go into effect to have their own official dog park.
“You bet it would be great,” Carreiro said. “The dogs have fun and are allowed to exercise. A dog that exercises is a lot happier dog.”
