Parks are for people, not for dogs.
This is the refrain so often heard by Glendale and La Crescenta residents who own dogs when they plead with their elected officials to consider their needs and set aside some city or county park land for an off-leash exercise area for man’s best friend.
But, when these same officials are asked for new soccer fields, do they say “Parks are for people, not soccer balls?”
It might seem ridiculous, but the parallel is undeniable.
Glendale and the Crescenta Valley are the last local communities without an off-leash area for residents to exercise their dogs, to socialize with other dog owners and increase their sense of community.
Why?
In an editorial in the Glendale News-Press titled “A thoroughly convincing case for a dog park,” on Sept. 17, 1999, the Director of Parks and Recreation Nello Iacono said, in a report to the city Planning Commission, that the need for a dog park was clear.
“There is a need in Glendale to recognize and respond to the legitimate needs of dog owners,” Iacono said. “The city provides many different recreational activities in its parks and other recreational facilities. It seems appropriate to attempt to find a way to satisfy the needs of Glendale dog owners.”
Almost nine years later, Pasadena has its own off-leash dog exercise area, and several similar facilities are found throughout Los Angeles.
Still, there’s nothing in Glendale or the Crescenta Valley.
Enter Community Volunteers for Dogs Off-leash Gathering and Socializing, or CV DOGS.
This new group of residents, who are also voters, has formed to urge both the city of Glendale and Los Angeles County to address the needs of residents who own dogs — and, of course, their four-legged friends.
“CV DOGS is dedicated to protecting the right of recreation for taxpayers and their dogs,” according to the group’s mission statement. “It is our mission to establish a fenced-in, off-leash dog park where well-behaved dogs can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property or wildlife.”
Dog exercise areas provide benefits not only for the four-legged users, but for their human companions and members of the community, too.
They are a place where residents can gather to socialize and form bonds with other community members.
