Dear City Council members,
While you discuss possible improvements to the facilities at Willow Oaks Park this evening, I respectfully request that you also take the dog facilities into consideration.
From my understanding, when the dog park was first opened, as a fenced grassy area, the rules prohibited use during business hours so that the preschool could also use the facilities. Not surprisingly, allowing children to run in an area which potentially has dog ▒▒▒▒▒ was not well received, and the dog park is now used at all hours of the day. This isn’t the only posted rule no longer followed, and many dog “walkers” who have been banned from dog parks in other cities now use Willow Oaks during lunchtime, with more than three dogs per handler. My dog was bitten during a lunchtime visit, and the owner claimed it was due to the overwhelming presence of around 30 dogs from both dog walker. The majority of these dogs was gone when I entered, but the repercussions still lingered.
The condition of the dog park has now detiorated from a grassy field to a dust bowl with scattered wood chips. When the pandemic closed the dog park, many owners used the adjacent soccer field, despite the Menlo Park leash law, and the majority haven’t moved back into the dog park after it reopened. This fall, I’ve witnessed AYSO practices and games interrupted as dogs run freely throughout the field, and there are piles of dog ▒▒▒▒▒ all over which are not picked up by owners. It is so disappointing to see this level of entitlement, and I frankly feel we owe our children a much better opportunity to safely enjoy the outdoors.
Issues arise both in inappropriate facilities, and the lack of enforcement. We’ve seen the police come repeatedly to ask owners to leash their dogs or take them in the park, only for people to return to the field as soon as the police have left. The police also respond to the number of dogs in the park, and again issue no more than a verbal warning. We are now known in the area as the place to go once one has violated rules and not welcome in other communities. These are creating situations which are unsafe for our dogs and unsafe for the general public. How is enforcement of the dog park rules followed to ensure a safe environment for our full community?
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Fiona and Dave Walker
