Dog Park Advocates Draft New Strategy

A group of Palisades dog owners, frustrated that they can no longer run their pets illegally on the playing fields at the Recreation Center, met last week to discuss potential locations for a dog park and develop a strategy on how to secure a site. Some of the attendees were members of PaliDog, the nonactive organization that, after researching nine distinct sites for dogs and suggesting a site in Potrero Canyon along PCH, ultimately suspended its work because of community opposition. Since that organization had been formally organized in 2003, the new group agreed that it would be expedient to reactivate it. Jon Tower and Judith Collas, PaliDog veterans, briefed the group on the history of the search, and outlined the hurdles posed in gaining approval for a dog park. George Wolfberg, chairman of the Potrero Canyon Citizens Committee, explained the criteria that the L.A. Dept. of Recreation and Parks has established for a successful dog park. Community Council chairman Kurt Toppel once again identified lower Potrero Canyon as the most plausible site and acceptable to the city. While the group concluded that lower Potrero might be the best long-term solution, they recommended in the short run that the city take action to permit dogs off-leash at the Recreation Center between 6 and 8 a.m., and that the dog lovers contribute to the maintenance of the baseball field and assure that any dog feces would be cleaned up before the last user left the field. Members also agreed that the dog users should honor the posted signs prohibiting them from using the field when it is wet. Jan Chatten-Brown, who volunteered to revive the dog park discussion and called the meeting, said that the first order of business would be to propose the idea to the Community Council, as early as February. In order to advance its goals, the group suggested that everyone contribute $20 a year to PaliDog, to be used to support field maintenance and miscellaneous expenses. “We need to circulate petitions and otherwise advocate for our goals,” Chatten-Brown said. “We hope to create a Web site to broaden involvement.” Chatten-Brown told the Palisadian-Post this week that she didn’t think using the park would be accepted as a long-term solution. “People have to explore other options, and George and Kurt seem to think that the bottom of Potrero was doable,” said the attorney. The next meeting will be scheduled in January.