GOING TO THE DOGS; LEASH LAW DEFIED AT WOODLAND HILLS PARK.Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer Cleo, a shepherd-chow, and Barney, a Samoyed-border collie collie, breed of large, agile working dog developed in Scotland during the 17th and 18th cent. It stands from 22 to 26 in. (55.9–66 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 50 to 75 lb (22.7–34 kg). , romp unleashed across the grass expanse of Serrania Avenue Park, nipping nip·ping adj. 1. Sharp and biting, as the cold. 2. Bitingly sarcastic. nip  ping·ly adv.Adj. and jumping at each other in a friendly ritual. Joined by dozens of other dogs on weekends and smaller numbers on weekdays, Cleo and Barney and their owners are in the vanguard of a revolution: Liberating Serrania Park for dogs without official approval at the risk of $76 tickets if caught. ``Where else in L.A. do people come together like this in a public place,'' said Cleo's owner, Margie Mueller, who has been driving over from Calabasas for more than a year. Barney's owner, Jonathon Gold, learned about the takeover of Serrania from his real estate broker when he moved from Sherman Oaks to Woodland Hills five years ago. ``You're surrounded by green,'' he said. ``It's open, there's a lot of dogs to play with, and the people are pretty responsible.'' Widespread defiance of the city's leash law leash law n. An ordinance requiring that dogs be kept on a leash when not restricted to their owners' property. has been gradual and most dog owners are careful to run their pets away from the park's lower portion near the fenced children's playground and picnic areas, so complaints are relatively few and rangers only occasionally crack down. When rangers do roll in, dog owners try to thwart them. Some blow warning whistles, setting off a mad scramble of chasing down and leashing dogs. ``We have other things to do than busting people walking their dogs off the leash,'' said James Ward Please choose between:
Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Department of Recreation and Parks officials do not wink A short control signal in telephony operations. It can be a single pulse, a brief interruption of a continuous tone, a change of bits or a change in polarity of the signal. For example, a momentary interruption (the wink) of a continuous, single-frequency tone is a signal that the and look the other way from unofficial dog parks because the city has established four official leash-free areas, including those in the Sepulveda Basin and Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon can refer to several things:
Yet parks officials also acknowledge the city needs more dog parks and are writing a policy to set standards before developing more. The Serrania dog owners would rather the rangers left them alone. They claim most people are sensitive about cleaning up after their dogs and avoiding conflicts with walkers, joggers and children. ``It's a totally different atmosphere from the dog park in the Sepulveda Basin. There are restrictions there, there are fences,'' said Jan Reinglass, who brings her Labrador, Brandon, to the park on Saturday mornings and finds there's a close-knit crowd of dog owners. ``There's one guy, when I was away he came over and took my dog to the park.'' Response to complaints Rangers nevertheless have responded to complaints about large dogs running near the fenced children's playground on Serrania's lower portion and of walkers being chased. ``We have done numerous sweeps at Serrania Park over the last year, sometimes just with park rangers A park ranger is a person charged with protecting and preserving protected parklands, forests (then called a forest ranger), wilderness areas, as well as other natural resources and protected cultural resources. , sometimes in conjunction with the Department of Animal Regulations,'' said Anne Waisgerber, senior park ranger for the Valley. ``We have issued numerous citations at the location but we've counseled and released a larger number than we have cited,'' she noted. Tracy Kearns has no fear about bringing her 13-month-old son, Jack, to the park to play in the grass and on the playground equipment. Serrania is a regular stop when she's visiting her in-laws in Woodland Hills. ``As long as the owners are keeping an eye on them and are sensitive, I don't see a problem,'' Kearns said. ``There was a great Dane Great Dane, breed of very large, powerful working dog developed in Europe more than 400 years ago. It may stand as high as 36 in. (91.4 cm) at the shoulder and weigh up to 150 lb (68.1 kg). named Curry who was very polite.'' Recognizing they have something special going, the Serrania dog owners emphasize self-enforcement. ``If there is an aggressive dog, we will tell that person to put it on a leash,'' said Joy Sekyra, who brings Max, a German shorthaired pointer German shorthaired pointer, breed of large sporting dog developed in Germany in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 60 lb (27 kg). , on weekday evenings. Few dog fights Dog fights are not common, but quickly controlled, owners said. ``Sometimes dogs get out of control. When they're together, there's certain breeds that don't get along with other breeds,'' said Gold. ``There's a few dog fights here and the people break it up.'' Of greater concern is dog poop Poop A slang term often used to describe people with insider information. Notes: Not the most illustrious name. See also: Insider Information . Owners who don't scoop up Verb 1. scoop up - take out or up with or as if with a scoop; "scoop the sugar out of the container" lift out, scoop, scoop out, take up remove, take away, withdraw, take - remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something will hear from the others. Dog owners even posted signs on trees and poles more than a month ago reminding others of the uniform code for self-policing. The sign notes that failing to clean after dogs could lead to greater enforcement and a virtual end to the park as a doggie haven. ``You don't want to ruin it for everybody,'' said Bob Hunio. City officials have been surprised by the popularity of dog parks. ``It's getting to be a real common thing. Once you open one, everyone wants one,'' said Ken Novak, who as the department's golf and parks manager develops policies for parks citywide. ``We meet the demand, but not as rapidly as people would like.'' Dog parks are both coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. and controversial. The city of Calabasas is opening one this spring on Las Virgenes Road in a remote area. The search for a suitable site goes on in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . The park district there removed a park from consideration as a leash-free site after nearby residents complained. Los Angeles has developed three dog parks since the City Council designated the four-acre park at Laurel Canyon Boulevard Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego (Interstate 405) and the Golden State Freeways (Interstate 5). and Mulholland Drive For the motion picture, see . Mulholland Drive is a very well-known road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland. A portion of it is also called Mulholland Highway. a leash-free dog area in 1990. The park remains the only one of the four where dog owners are restricted to certain morning and afternoon hours. ``It basically was a local phenomenon at the time and was a way to make use of the park to keep out undesirables,'' Novak said. The city's other dog parks are: Sepulveda Basin: The 10-acre park at White Oak Avenue and Victory Boulevard Victory Boulevard is a major thoroughfare on Staten Island, measuring approximately 8.0 miles (12.87 km) and stretching from the west shore community of Travis to the upper east shore communities of St. George and Tompkinsville. , opened in 1996, features a 5-acre fenced off-leash area. The other half has parking and picnic areas. The hours are from sunrise to sunset seven days a week. Westminster: The 2.2-acre park, opened a year ago, is next to a senior citizens center on Pacific Avenue in Venice. The hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Silver Lake: The 1.1-acre park, opened four years ago, is next to the Silver Lake Recreation Center on West Silver Lake Drive. The hours are sunrise to sunset seven days a week. There are requests for dog parks in West Los Angeles
Before evaluating any proposals, however, parks officials are writing a policy to set standards for dog parks. Novak said he will complete the first draft by June. The Serrania dog owners recognize that the only legal way to run their dogs without a leash is if the park is designated for dogs. Some have urged the city to do just that in the past. Current support for fencing a portion of the park for dogs has been sparked by the specter of rangers cracking down. Quickly leashing Max didn't prevent Sekyra from getting a $76 ticket a few weeks ago. ``They came fast, straight up the grass. We were sitting on a bench and we all ran and got our dogs on a leash and they still gave us a ticket,'' she recalled. ``It was a nice day and there were three dogs up there and it was just ridiculous.'' Despite being ticketed two years ago, Bob and Edi Hunio of Woodland Hills keep coming back to Serrania with Gus, a golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). , and Trey, a whippet, who love the wide open space. ``This is really a wonderful place,'' Edi Hunio said. ``People should get along as well as dogs do. ``They have facilities for everyone. What about the people with dogs,'' Bob Hunio said. ``You've got to have something in the West Valley.'' City parks and recreation officials considered a similar plan that died for lack of strong community support in 1991, Ward said. Greg and Jean Buesing moved into the neighborhood in part because of the park nestled in a small canyon of the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. . Informal charm They are among the dog owners who enjoy the informal charm of a neighborhood park without a fenced area for dogs and fear improvements will lure dog owners from beyond their corner of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . ``Some of us who go to that upper part of the dog park don't want it to become an official dog park. We're afraid it will become too crowded,'' Jean said. Nearly every Saturday morning for the past three years, Michele Jura has given Mac, a shepherd-wolfhound mix, a workout in the park. ``If I say park on a Saturday morning, he barks; he just gets so excited,'' said Jura of Woodland Hills. ``He has his few dog friends. They love to run and chase.'' The canine camaraderie rubs off on the owners, though they often are better at remembering the names of other dogs. ``We all pretend it's for our dogs'' said Michael Follin, ``but it's a great place to meet people. You do make a lot of friends here.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Edi Hunio, left, throws a ball for golden retriever Gus as her husband, Bob, eyes Trey, a whippet, and another dog at Serrania Park. Gus Ruelas/Daily News (2) In violation of leash laws and risking hefty fines for their owners, a group of dogs runs free at Serrania Avenue Park in Woodland Hills. David Crane/Daily News (3) no caption (Dogs on leash sign) |
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