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The Fairlington Dog Park got some positive press, along with the rest of Fairlington, on Channel 5 on the morning of May 17.
FAIR Dogs Inc. appreciates the information getting out to the public, but in the world of television, we couldn’t provide it all.
Here’s some more:
- You don’t have to come all the way to Fairlington to run your dogs safely off leash. Not anymore.
- Arlington County has six other dog parks, some now on the Fairlington model. The City of Alexandria, as of May, now has three of its own.
- In Maryland, there are dog parks in Greenbelt and Gaithersburg, and one was just approved in Bowie.
- And Fairfax County, Va., is about to open its first one – at Blake Lane Park in Oakton – with more to follow.
- Plus, the towns of Reston and Herndon are working steadily to open dog parks in their communities, soon.
That’s great news. WE NEED MORE DOG PARKS.
To make those parks a success, all those groups need neighbors to sign up in support. Please visit those dog parks nearest you, and you can start by visiting some helpful and informative web sites.
Arlington Dogs, an umbrella group in Arlington County, is working hard to make sure Arlington County fulfills its commitment to bringing more dog parks to Arlingtonians. To find an Arlington dog park near you, and to see how easy it is to get involved, log on to www.arlingtondogs.org
Herndon, members.aol.com/HerndonDogs, and Reston, www.restondogs.org, are racing to see who opens first.
Oakton – Fairfax County’s first dog park is slated to open as early as June. E-mail their organizers at: OaktonDogs@mailcity.com
Greenbelt – the first dog park in the D.C. metro area has a wonderful web site, with lots of helpful links at www.dogpark.org
Folks in Bowie, Md., just got approval to build theirs on Northview Drive: www.angelspace.net/bowiedogpark
And to find the dog park nearest you – anywhere in the country - please log on to www.dogpark.com
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
FAIR Dogs Inc. will hold its annual meeting Wednesday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. in room 10 at the Fairlington Community Center (south).
Howard Hudgins, from the Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources, will be on hand to discuss these countywide revelations, as well as future landscaping projects at Utah Field.
As many of you know, FAIR Dogs Inc. is a not-for-profit organization set up to work for, build and maintain the dog park. As such, the annual meeting also is the time of year we satisfy our IRS commitments to maintain a board of directors.
According to our by-laws the officers and members of the Board serve a term of three years. At the end of these terms the positions are open for election. At this time five of the seven board positions are up for re-election.
As always, we welcome new faces interested in working with FAIR Dogs. You must be a FAIR Dogs member to run for an opening and to vote at the annual meeting. (According to the by-laws, officers – president, vice president, secretary and treasurer - are selected each year from among the board members, who are elected to three-year terms).
If you are interested in running for the board, please write up a little bio, just a short couple of sentences on why you’d like to serve. And don’t forget to include your dog’s name.
They should be delivered in hard copy or disk through Tom McQuillan’s mail slot at 4425 S. 36th St.. Or they can be e-mailed to fairlingtondogs@hotmail.com. Please deliver them by Friday, April 14.
But not everyone has to be on the board to be active and work on the park’s maintenance and future. We will be formalizing some projects at the annual meeting, and we look forward to having many of you help out with those as volunteers. The idea is to form small, even temporary, committees to work on some projects that could take just a few hours per person per month, and may only last a few months.
Please plan to attend.
MORE DOG PARKS
Thanks in large part to the cooperation of Fairlington residents with FAIR Dogs Inc., the pilot project – a fenced park for dogs – was such a success, Arlington County has embraced the idea, and has plans to fence in and upgrade 6 more parks in the image of Utah Field.
Well, you’ve heard that before. Now, the good news: The County has succeeded in bringing 3 more parks on line to the Fairlington standard. The Dog Exercise Areas (DEAs in Countyspeak) at Banneker (formerly East Falls Church, near the metro station of the same name), Fort Ethan Allen (also known as Madison, near the McLean border), and Glencarlyn parks are now up to the standards adopted by the County Board.
That means they are accessible to people with disabilities, have bulletin boards and have fencing. Actually Glencarlyn is not fenced because it has sufficient natural borders.
Alexandria also has opened its second fenced dog park, and Fairfax County and Reston should be following suit soon.
That’s great news for dog owners and even people who don’t own dogs in Arlington County. And its great news for Fairlingtonians, who will probably see the dog park population go down as other Arlingtonians go to parks closer to home.
FAIR Dogs will confirm these parks, and make maps available at the dog park in the coming months.
Since the dog park opened in June 1997, it seems
we’ve been tested by extreme weather conditions,
and the blizzard of 2000 was no exception. Thanks
to everyone who made the snow park for dogs so much
fun.
Be careful. By the time you read this, winter storms
may be a thing of the past, but the patio, stairs and side-walk
can be hazardous. Arlington County did an excellent
job clearing the snow and ice, but neither the parks
department nor FAIR Dogs has the resources to ensure
safe walkways every day. And because of those precious
pads on pooch’s paws, we cannot use salt to melt the ice.
Some things we can do: Keep water bottles and bowls
outside the patio area, on the bench or the picnic table.
When the cold cracks the bottles or dogs knock the bowls
around, the water will stay on the ground instead of the
cement.
On a side note, this was also the first hard snow to test
the "alternative surface"—the gravel mixture on the south
end of the park. It drained well, or at least faster than
plain dirt would have. That surface is being tested for a
year. We welcome feedback that we can pass along to the
Arlington Parks Department before they install this sur-face
at other dog parks. Please tell Brian Mac Keil what
you think: (703) 578-3989, or bjmackeil@erols.com.
- New Rules.
As many of you already know, the Arlington County parks department approved a new set of rules since the last time we printed them out for users. For the most part, little has changed for Utah Park users since most of the County rules were based on our pilot project dog park. The list of rules is attached to the end of this newsletter. There are two relatively new rules, though, that we must all follow:
- Nobody can have more than three (3) dogs with them in the dog park. The County decided (and FAIR Dogs agrees) that is the maximum number of dogs anyone can control and clean up after. And, now that it is a park rule, it can be enforced by the Animal Warden, who makes periodic visits to the dog park. If anyone notices a consistent violation of this rule, please contact a board member and we’ll take it from there.
- There should be no more than 22 dogs in the dog park at a time. This is an occupancy rule set for land use and control reasons, much like the fire laws that maximize the number of people allowed in a movie theater or restaurant. We know it’s hard to count the dogs as they play, but please try to adhere by this rule. If, for instance, you arrive at the park and determine you may be bringing in the 23rd dog, please take a short circle around the block. More than likely, a few will have left by the time you return. Similarly, if you have been in the park for a long time, try to keep your eyes on the gates. When other dogs are arriving, maybe its time for you to call it quits for the day and come back later.
- Licenses are required for any dog, whether you live in Arlington or not. The animal warden has been known to stop by the dog park to take a look around, and you are required to have your dog’s license either on the dog’s collar or in your pocket. Please don’t be caught off guard.
- You must clean up after your dog. FAIR Dogs provides ‘Doggie Walk’ bags in the blue dispenser on the pavilion, and we soon will have some sort of plastic container on the patio for folks to bring their leftover grocery or newspaper bags as a back up. For the most part, everyone is doing their fair share of cleaning up poop, but please remember to do so, and please respond quickly and kindly if someone else at the park points out that your pet has just left a pile.
- Speaking of walking, the only other issue affecting the dog park’s neighbors can be inconsiderate dog walkers who are not curbing their pets properly, whether on the way to the park or not. It only takes a few piles to give the park users a bad name, so please pay attention to these simple tips: Simply wear the plastic bag like a glove; pick up your dog’s pile; invert the bag and tie it off. And please do not leave the bags on the ground, but dispose of them properly. Also, please keep your dogs from urinating on plants around walkways, lampposts or in flowerbeds.
- The winter weather snap in January and February was the first hard snow to test the "alternative surface" – the gravel mixture on the south end of the park. Looks like it drained well, or at least faster than plain dirt would have. But that surface is being tested for a year, and we welcome feedback that we can pass along to the Arlington Parks Department before they install such a surface at other dog parks. Please let Brian Mac Keil know what you think: (703) 578-3989, or bjmackeil@erols.com
All in all, dog owners need to be considerate of each other’s wishes. Everyone has their own opinions of proper behavior that may or not jibe with other park users. Sometimes dogs just don’t get along. We’ve found that in those special cases, the owners can work out a schedule amongst themselves to make sure they’re not using the park at the same time.
- Children and dogs usually get along famously, but the
dog park is really not the place to test that theory.
Remember, the dog park was built to give our pets
free reign, so it is unfair for people to bring young
children to the dog park and expect the dogs (and
their owners) to supervise toddlers. Fearing their
dogs’ reactions may prompt owners to request that
parents keep their children at the other end of the
park. If your children are in the habit of wandering,
or if they are spooked by large dogs, please leave
them at home, so the dogs can enjoy the park. There
are plenty of playgrounds nearby for the children.
- Parking can be a hot issue, especially when there is
snow on the ground. The dog park is designed for the
neighborhood; most people walk there. If you must
drive, we ask that you park your vehicle in the lot
next to the softball field at the end of Utah Street, or
street parking is legal near the homes at the top of
the hill, it can be inconsiderate, especially if you take
a space that someone has worked hard to shovel out
of the snow for themselves.
- Dog fights are rare at the park, but they can happen
fast, bringing lots of other dogs into the fray. The key?
Know your dog’s body language. If he or she starts to
become perturbed, pull him or her aside for a quick
"time out". And more importantly, if a dog owner is
displeased with your dog’s behavior and asks you to
pull your dog aside, please do so even if you don’t see
the problem. As we’ve said, the park is a howling success,
pun intended, but it only continues to be if
everyone is cooperating and using common sense.
- In general, dog owners need to be considerate of each
other. We all have opinions regarding proper behavior
that may or not jibe with other park users. Sometimes
dogs just don’t get along. We’ve found that in these situations,
owners can work out a schedule amongst them-selves
to ensure they’re not using the park at the same
time.
If park users have any concerns, notify Board Members
as soon as possible. Our numbers are posted at the park.
If you have any questions, ideas or suggestions, call Brian
Mac Keil, 578-3989, bjmackeil@erols.com or Cindy Crapo,
820-9623, cmcrapo@americanapparel.com.
Updated May 30, 2003
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