Not allowed in public park???

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

I don't know what the reasoning behind your town's bylaw, but I do know that here dogs aren't allowed in parks with playground equipment or in school yards. The bylaw for this states that because children are present, it is safer to not allow dogs. People don't clean up after their dogs and you don't want your kids playing in poop, not to mention the sanitary reasons for this! It also explains that children and strange dogs are usually a bad combination and to prevent injury to dog or child these rules are in place. Makes total sense to me. Granted, I've walked through a couple of playgrounds at night when there was no body around. Generally, no one really complains about a stroll through the park when it's empty. We also usually have a park where dog are allowed no more than a block away from most play grounds, not to mention all the off leash parks we have...maybe that's why we never really have too many problems....there are adequate places for people with dogs to go.

[Lewie'sMom]

I too would like to say I never ignore "no dogs" signs...but I usually do...'nuff said.

 

This isn't exactly the same as a public park....but: years ago, I had a dog with an iliosoapsas (groin-area) muscle strain. Part of her rehab was that she was to walk on a hill, with the injured leg on the downhill side (to stretch it out). The ONLY consistent grade hill I could find anywhere was our high school soccer field. It was summer, so we had to go in early morning anyway; and nobody seemed to be using the field. But I was a bit paranoid, even though dog was leashed, potty bags were carried, and we certainly weren't on the playing surface. The main parking area had a sign that said "no dogs." The other side had a sign that said "no pets." So, of course, I always parked on the other side, ready to say to anyone who said anything to me: "Oh, but she's not a pet; she's a sports dog (agility), and this is part of her conditioning." But darn it all, I never got the chance to say it, cuz nobody ever bothered us!

 

diane

 

 

I'd love to know if that would have worked.

[desertranger]

Couldnt you have a doctor sign something stating that due to your health ,your dog does indeed help you keep your balance ? I think thats all that is needed for airlines to let your dog fly sitting in the seat next to you , so it should be sufficient for the Parks Dept. to allow you i the "no dogs allowed" area of the parks. Shouldnt it ?

 

 

Now you're talking about a Service Dog. That would exempt her dog from the No Dogs rule. However the requirement for an SD is being disabled. There a couple of places here where I've had access problems with Jin despite his being an SD. Both of them are preserves outside of town where there are no dog rules in effect and I can't seem to get it into the preserves managers that SDs are exempt from the No Dogs rule.

[IPSY]

I am thinking of doing that as it would certainly simplify the situation. I have a visit scheduled for early January, so I could discuss it then. This is a small public park, the only one in town and to have it entirely outlawed for someone walking a dog is just unfair. You can take them on on the Green (which has poo on it!) but that's County property, and of course, walk around town on the sidewalks. I generally go to the Green and on the sidewalks, but the snow was too deep on the Green and the sidewalks have salt on them. Winter....GRRRR!

 

This is a very small town -- we don't have a "Parks Dept" so the person that would come by would be the local police, and they hate dealing with dog issues...or most civil complaints -- in fact, anything that doesn't involve writing a speeding ticket is pretty much not in their job description. But someone could eventually making a fuss to the borough council because that's what happens in a small town in the winter - just like someone could complain about me taking him into the library where we are now very much welcomed, so I pick my moments and go in when the library isn't too busy. The library staff all likes Robin and know why I have him with me, but if push came to shove, and someone complained, I'd not be able to take him in unless he was a declared service dog. I take him into the Post office, though for some reason, mail carriers don't seem to be too fond of dogs . He's welcomed at the bank with a biscuit, both in the drive through and inside and in several stores including Tractor Supply, the Garden Center, and the local Agway. Oh, and the ice cream stand, which actually sells doggie ice-cream, a small cup of vanilla with three doggie biscuits, but of course, they're closed for the winter. I've had him in Lowe's and of course, the pet stores. He's very good.

 

I'll report back - if I don't end up in the hoosegow .

Liz

 

I wish you luck

[IPSY]

No, you can't be arrested for not carrying ID. However, the police have the right, on reasonable suspicion, to briefly stop and question a person. The officer must be able to state the grounds for his/her "reasonable suspicion" later on. If, in the course of the brief interview, that reasonable suspicion grows into something more, the officer may take further action on that basis.

 

Yep , ( as a example) if you are walking your dog in a "no dogs allowed area" and are stopped , not having ID is not a "get out of jail free" card. If they find you irritating , they can and will take you in and someone will have to supply your ID. Thats the way it is here in NYS anyway ;-) Getting a ticket is in leui of being arrested .

[ZoZo]

This dog off leash thing is a big pet peeve of mine. I may (or may not) break the law every single day with my dogs off leash (not allowed in my local park or school). But if I did break the law, or thought I was above the law, it would only be because the law is stupid. There are also no dog parks in this city, or an animal shelter, so no surprise there. One of my neighbors (he's about 55) was actually chased by a cop one evening in our local park. He had no leashes with him, so he ran to the elementary school next door and hid in the bushes with his two dogs for 30 minutes in the pitch black until the cop got tired of routing around for him!

 

No offence to police folks, I know they have a job, but harrasing otherwise law abiding, tax-paying citizens for letting your dog off leash, at night, in an empty park is 100% ridiculous.

 

Anyways, our sheriff department has since redeemed themselves. I've been doing some flyball practice at another local park early each Sunday for a few months now (I didn't bother to check with the city, I know that's illegal also since a dog would need to be off leash). Last week a sheriff guy shows up and I'm thinking "how am I going to talk my way out of this?", but he was totally cool, he was only doing a routine walk through to make sure everything was ok (this park is somewhat isloated). We was curious what we were up to and we showed him what flyball was about and how fun it is. He thought it was great, told us to have a nice day and was on his way.

[ejano]

Why not be the responsible party in this and simply go to the city and ask them why? Instead of being sneaky and lying about it be up front and honest. You may find that they have a very good reason to restrict the dogs from the park. Better to be the honest one than to get dog owners yet another black mark. And lying about him being a service dog...well, it's your conscious you have to deal with.

 

I am not lying about him being a service dog -- my end goal for him is to be exactly that because realistically at some point, I'm going to need him to do things for me the way that Scotty did and more. But he's only nine months old and doesn't have his CGC yet and I've not gone through the formalities...when he and I are ready, I will.

 

I'm not being sneaky either, I just feel self-conscious about my health problems because frankly, if you tell somebody you've been treated for lung cancer, they look at you like "When's your funeral?" because most people simply don't survive. I was in the Drs office with my mother the other day and she told him what was going on with me -- he looked at me and I just said, "I'm fine" and he had a "Yeah, right" look on his face. It's horrible when one is trying to do everything to be positive....including finding places to walk every day to stay healthy! Happily in my case, the cancer was caught when it was a very small tumor in my lung, I've had surgery to remove everything, and chemo to mop up any free radicalsand I've been NED for a whole nine months....which is exactly Robin's age. At the moment I'm living my life in three month increments - the time between chest x rays...but I intend to live a long full life.

 

This is a very small town and I know why the borough put the sign up....they figure if they post it, then they can't get sued if there's an incident. Otherwise they really don't give a darn. Just like when they say "No skateboarding" or "bikes" instead of trying to provide outlets for kids. Kids are riding bikes and skateboarding all over town because they don't have anywhere safe to go. The ordinance is on the books and the police don't enforce it. There's five council members (all men) - one of them has served longer than I've been alive and all the others have at least twenty in....can you smell the progress? As I said, there are times when peaceful, civil disobedience becomes necessary.

 

Liz

[Lenajo]

The chances of any Border Collie being large and strong enough to support you for balance work is slim to none. There are other things they can do, but that's not one of them.

 

If the law is wrong, get it changed. Just going around it like you're describing helps no-one. It actually ends up hurting those that do follow the law - and who's to say the police aren't going to start enforcing it if enough rule breakers show up.

 

It's sort of like letting mandatory s/n and unreasonable breeder licensing laws go through because "we know they won't be enforced". Murphy's law is that they will be one day, and *you* will not have a legal leg to stand on.

[Guest echoica]

We have a trail through our woods that anyone can use. There is a sign that says

Sled Team uses trail as hiway

Watch for Raptors

Please stay off perimeter fencelines- it disturbs the recovering predators

 

Sheep on Trail- "Don't mess wit da sheeps"

If you see Jesus, talk to him softly -LGD

We have never had a problem

 

haha! that's fantastic!!

[Journey]

This is a very small town and I know why the borough put the sign up....they figure if they post it, then they can't get sued if there's an incident. Otherwise they really don't give a darn. Just like when they say "No skateboarding" or "bikes" instead of trying to provide outlets for kids. Kids are riding bikes and skateboarding all over town because they don't have anywhere safe to go. The ordinance is on the books and the police don't enforce it. There's five council members (all men) - one of them has served longer than I've been alive and all the others have at least twenty in....can you smell the progress? As I said, there are times when peaceful, civil disobedience becomes necessary.

 

Excuse me but when did it become the city/county's responsibility to provide "outlets" for kids - much less dogs??? Yes, you are currently breaking the law, regardless of what you think of said law. Be responsible, go talk to the city. You might be surprised at their response. AFA him being a service dog in training, which organization? When people "fake" these things it really does effect the "true" service dogs, but hey, who cares, that's someone else's problem..

Your right there are times for "peaceful civil disobedience" and there are times to be the "adult".

[desertranger]

He doesn't need a CGC to wear an SDiT vest and patch. However in your state an SDiT may not have the same provs as in another state. I know that in Ca SDiT have a lot of protection under the law but in Ohio for examples almost nothing.

[ejano]

Excuse me but when did it become the city/county's responsibility to provide "outlets" for kids - much less dogs??? Yes, you are currently breaking the law, regardless of what you think of said law. Be responsible, go talk to the city. You might be surprised at their response. AFA him being a service dog in training, which organization? When people "fake" these things it really does effect the "true" service dogs, but hey, who cares, that's someone else's problem..

Your right there are times for "peaceful civil disobedience" and there are times to be the "adult".

 

 

A municipal government exists to serve its citizens. That's why we pay taxes. So they can provide the services. If they don't want to provide services, then we shouldn't have to pay taxes.

 

Didn't you read my post? I'm not faking. If anything, I'm minimizing my problems...did I mention how tough it is to walk outside with half a lung missing???? I'm not passing Robin off as a service dog. If people ask, I tell them we're working in that direction, but first I want to get the CGC then I need to figure out what I want him to learn before I enroll in a program. Service dogs are not all taught to do the same tasks.

 

Nor are all service training programs on the up and up. I met a lady in WalMart a couple of months ago with an Aussie that clearly had issues with crowds and strangers. He was wearing a service vest that she'd ordered off the Internet.

[Eileen Stein]

What kind of a fight am I in for if we should return and someone decide to complain?

 

Not much of one, would be my guess. I suppose you might run into a judgmental, sanctimonious law enforcement officer who might give you a ticket, but the odds are that s/he would either accept your explanation and tell you to have a good day, or at worst tell you you'd have to leave. Many times laws and ordinances are not enforced, either as a matter of policy or to allow for the exercise of on-the-spot judgment by the officer in the circumstances.

[ejano]

Not much of one, would be my guess. I suppose you might run into a judgmental, sanctimonious law enforcement officer who might give you a ticket, but the odds are that s/he would either accept your explanation and tell you to have a good day, or at worst tell you you'd have to leave. Many times laws and ordinances are not enforced, either as a matter of policy or to allow for the exercise of on-the-spot judgment by the officer in the circumstances.

 

That's the way I see it.

 

It just irks me that these old fogies (and yes, they're all old men) are ducking civic responsibilities. There's nothing left at the park except for the ball field and a few sad pieces of playground equipment and this track, which was paid for and installed by a resident living in my township in honor of their soldier-son who was killed in the Middle East last year. I lost my brother last year as well to cancer caused by Agent Orange exposure during his Viet Nam service. I thought about them both a great deal - and the senselessness of their deaths, while I was walking. Maybe that's why I'm so irate.

[ejano]

The chances of any Border Collie being large and strong enough to support you for balance work is slim to none. There are other things they can do, but that's not one of them.

 

If the law is wrong, get it changed. Just going around it like you're describing helps no-one. It actually ends up hurting those that do follow the law - and who's to say the police aren't going to start enforcing it if enough rule breakers show up.

 

It's sort of like letting mandatory s/n and unreasonable breeder licensing laws go through because "we know they won't be enforced". Murphy's law is that they will be one day, and *you* will not have a legal leg to stand on.

 

I can see where you might think that he's not big enough, like a lab would be and he's quite a bit smaller than Scotty, who was a very large Border Collie (about sixty pounds!) but all it takes, at this point anyway, is just reaching down to touch his head or his back, or if I sway, my leg making contact with his body. I don't understand it completely but by touching your fingers to something, you give your brain an alternative pathway to orient you spacially besides through the soles of your feet. A cane would do the same thing but its a lot less fun to have around. (Though I do have a walking stick) I could never depend on Robin to catch a fall or even help me get up, as he is about knee high and weighs about 45 pounds. He's a solid dog, but I don't think he'll get much bigger. He's getting to be a dab hand at picking things up though and is learning hand signals very well.

[Jimmyd65]

I think the reason for "no dogs" in public parks and ballgrounds, etc., is because parents don't like their children playing in dog poo (and I can't say that I blame them). Unfortunately, the irresponsible owners who don't pick up after their dogs make it a problem for everyone. I used to work in the Hampton Roads area of VA and take my dogs to work with me quite often so we could go to the beach at Phoebus. That was perfectly acceptable during the off season, but come beach season, no dogs allowed. And during the off season I saw quite a few examples of why dogs weren't allowed there when people were more likely to frequent the area. Sad.

 

J.

 

 

Julie l lived in the Princess Anne area of Va. Beach down near the courthouse. There were plenty of public parks down there that are dog friendly...

[BLevinson]

Most parks, if they allow dogs, have a sign indicating dogs must be on leash and its probably an insurance thing. I have multiple dogs and do not want to cause any problems, nor do I want to run into anyone so I go in the very, very off hours. It is not likely that anyone will be in the park at dark, lights or otherwise, if it is snow covered and cold. Or very early in the AM. By the same token, I was stopped once by the park police (in the middle of the day) for not having a leash. I downed the dog(s) and walked over the officer and explained I had virtual leashes. Ha!