Dog Owners--What can you get for $35 these days?  A meal out--for one.  A week of lattes…

How about a new dog park?

The Seattle Parks Department will build the newest Dog Off Leash Area (OLA) in Magnolia Manor Park at 3500 28^th Avenue West, on Magnolia. Its tentative opening is spring 2012. YOU will determine how big it is.  Big enough?

            What Parks has budgeted now:  a simple 16,000 square foot OLA-about the size of our smallest  dog parks. (Regrade at 3^rd & Bell or Plymouth Pillars on Capital Hill).  Funding for this was approved in the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces levy.  But Magnolia wanted more, and bigger.  What’s been approved:  21,000 square feet, with a planting buffer and room for a small/shy area and a chuck-it zone.  The public and Parks have approved it -- Pending funding.

Friends of Magnolia Manor Park (FMMP) and Citizens for Off Leash Areas (COLA), through our generous donors, have raised almost 30% of our goal for the OLA.  Special thanks go to VCA/Magnolia Animal Hospital, which has stepped up as an ALPHA DOG sponsor!   Donations are coming in, but we need YOUR participation to make it happen!

Only $35 from each licensed-dog owner on Magnolia will build this park!!

Parks will decide after March 1, 2012 how much OLA they can build with the amount available.   Are you in?

A new dog park on Magnolia?  $35.

A ticket for an off-leash dog? $54.  (or $109,  $136, $162…)

Never again having to pay an off leash ticket (or drive 45 minutes to walk the dog)? Priceless!

Go to coladog.org/mmpMatch to donate and make a difference!

(Donate by March 31, 2012 and COLA will double your gift, up to a total of $3,000!)

Your gift is tax deductible!  Tax ID # 91-1682685

WHO WE ARE

COLA is a 100% volunteer-run non-profit organization. We exist to support and maintain Seattle's many off-leash dog parks.

OUR PARKS:

• Blue Dog Pond
• Dr. Jose Rizal
• Genesee
• Golden Gardens
• I-5 Colonnade
• Magnuson
• Northacres
• Plymouth Pillars
• Regrade
• Westcrest
• Woodland Park

The COLA Community:

• Users of city dog parks
• People interested in strengthening their neighborhood communities and promoting community-based activities
• The dog-owning community in general
• Other organizations working for similar goals

A Special Thank You to MudBay Granary for sponsoring publication of COLA's Park Maps!

Copied over from Loretta's blog at http://www.sludogpark.org/node/25

The Cascade Neighborhood Council meeting last month was an eye-opener, to say the least. Some pro dog park people came out (thank you!!) but the vast majority of attendees spoke of concerns about an off-leash park. Specifically, they voiced their unhappiness with the irresponsible dog owners that they saw using Cascade Park. These owners were allowing their dogs to run through the pea patch, spoiling the edibility of the food grown there; not picking up after their dogs; and letting the dogs run through the playground (causing health risks for children using the playground). There also were concerns about dogs who were off-leash and not responding to voice controls. Attendees reported incidents where they feared for their safety due to dogs who they viewed as out of control.

IMHO, the vast majority of dog owners are responsible. There always will be the bad actors. Problem is, these bad actors are hurting us, the responsible dog owners. This message was clearly communicated to me when I met last week with a few of the people who were concerned about establishment of a dog park. I spoke about the importance of stewardship for any successful park, including dog parks. As the conversation progressed, however, it became clear that dog park stewardship must begin now.

We need to establish credibility. How do we do that? For one thing, we can continue to be vigilant about picking up poop, keeping dogs out of the playground, leashing dogs that have not earned the right to be off leash, and being aware that there are people who are afraid of or don't particularly like dogs. The bad actors tarnish the reputation of the majority, who are considerate dog owners.

If we want to be successful in our quest for a dog park, we must start now. I know it's not the "Seattle way," but we cannot be afraid to speak up if someone is setting a bad example. If they let a poop drop and walk away, call them on it and hand them a bag. If their dog is running through the playground, let them know that this is unhealthy for the children who play there. Consider yourself "on duty" as a SLU Park steward when you are letting your dog run at Cascade Park, or Denny Park, or SLU Park, or anywhere else where (technically) off-leash dogs are not allowed. Now is the time to establish our credentials for canine stewardship.