Dogs are community too! .

Citizens throughout the U.S. are petitioning their councils or boards in increasing numbers to develop areas where they can exercise dogs off-leash. If you've been called upon to utilize portions of parkland for dogs, you've probably felt first-hand the controversy in determining the best uses of parkland. There are, however, many benefits to developing off-leash areas for dogs. Dogs are social creatures that need exercise and companionship. Additionally, and more important, many citizens don't participate in park and recreation activities or programs, and exercising their pets is their time for socialization and exercise, too.

In 1994, the Boulder, Colo. Open Space Department, which manages more than $5,000 acres of public lands, proposed changing dog-management regulations as part of the program's long-range management policies. This proposed action got dog lovers barking. A group called FIDOS (Friends Interested in Dogs on Open Space) was formed, and the city council directed various city departments to convene a dog roundtable to broaden community participation in addressing dog-management issues. Two years and many public meetings later, the council adopted a management plan. The six "pillars" of dog management included a trail map for mountain parks and open space providing dog-management regulations for specific trails and areas, and an aggressive education campaign to encourage responsible dog behavior and to disseminate regulations and land-management concerns. An enhanced voice and sight-control ordinance to clarify what "controlling your dog" meant and to emphasize that, in the absence of control, a dog must be leashed, was also developed. A city referendum was passed to allow the possibility of voice and sight control on parks and open space lands. within the city limits where appropriate, and dog exercise and socialization areas (i.e., dog parks) were developed. Finally, a long-term monitoring program was established to measure the success of the program and to determine future decisions.

The park and recreation department developed planning guidelines and policies for developing off-leash areas for dogs. Criteria were developed to evaluate potential parkland areas for development of off-leash parks for dogs. Issues include the size of the area, parking, type of fencing, environmental factors, noise impacts and signage needed. The results of these planning guidelines have been the successful development of two fenced off-leash sites and one non-fenced voice and sight area.--Douglas Hawthorne, CPRP, Boulder, Colo.