March / April 2003

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Fast Fourward Flyball Team Looking for New Team Member

Fast Fourward flyball team is accepting tryouts for new dog/handler. Dogs must be non aggressive, obedient & ball motivated. Owners must be dedicated & willing to attend practice consistently. Training is approx 1 year on the average. Positive training focus. (Some dogs have learned the sport as early as 3 months). The team travels to compete (locally & out of state). Weekly practice is held in Poway on a Wed. evening at 6:30 for approx 1 1/2- 2 hours. Due to the hours of training, we request only dedicated owners.  Flyball is the only team dog sport you can do with your fur friend. Interested dog owners may contact Joanne at bjminnie@yahoo.com

To see Flyball in action check out the tournament April 12th & 13th at the Del Mar Horsepark!

DOGPARK ETIQUETTE...
FOR PEOPLE
Once you and your dog get to the dogpark, it’s tempting to just stand back and watch all the activity (or chat to the other owners). But everybody will have a much more rewarding time if you observe some basic rules. Dogparks aren’t a right, they’re a privilege. - please don’t let bad behavior ruin things for everyone else.

• Always keep your eye on your dog. Mischief can happen quickly, and it’s easier to prevent problems than recover from them.

• Always clean up after your dog. This is a primary reason that dogparks get complaints, so pay attention and pick up the poop -even if it may not have come from your dog (after all, we’ve all been caught not looking).

• Keep your dog on-leash until you get to the off-leash area. This is not just respectful to neighbors and other park users, it’s much safer for your dog.

• Children should be supervised closely, especially when they approach others dogs who may not be as comfotable with children as your dog is.

• Don’t bring a female dog in season. Spayed/neutered animals are recommended.

• Don’t allow your dog to harass other dogs or people. This means having respect for the opinion of others - if they’re uncomfortable move your dog to another part of the park. This is especially important when sharing a community park where children play.

• Only bring bite-size treats for your dog, arguments can arise when a dog is protecting the remains of a large biscuit. Don’t give treats to other people’s dogs without the owners permission, there may be health or behavior issues you aren’t aware of.

• Each park has municiple codes posted. Know the local dog laws, such as license requirements and leash laws, and follow them.

Hall Property Update
Board Members Lu Meyer, Laurie Michaels, and Margarat Nee met with Council member Maggie Houlihan on plans for the Hall Property site (between Santa Fe Dr. and Birmingham, just West of Interstate 5).

The area planned for the dog park is a semi-detached square on the West side. You can see it from the freeway, there are some houses and work buildings surrounding it. It’s about two acres in size.

While this area could be easily developed before other aspects of the property are developed, the city still needs to wait for the environmental review process to be completed for the entire property.

Due to community disagreements about the development of the property this will be a long process, perhaps a couple of years. We are confident that this site will become a dog park, but we will have to be patient regarding the environmental review. PADZ will be working closely with the design team hired by the city to develop the site.

Other sites that will be discussed soon by the City Council include Indian Head Canyon and the SDG&E site.

Message from the Chair
We have a change in our officers. The board decided that I would stay on as chairperson. Laurie Ildau-Tarmo is our new secretary, and Tracy Love-Geffen is our treasurer. Dawn Redman is now handling our database.

Very soon there will be one fenced in dog park in Encinitas, at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society. We are very pleased that they consulted with our park design director, Margarat Nee.

Margarat has been researching park design information, and visiting existing fenced in dog parks, for months. Margarat, and other members of the board of directors, will be working closely with the city in designing our upcoming dog parks. It's going to take a few years to get the Hall property dog park established. However, there are other locations in the works.

We still need your support and attendance at City Council meetings when any dog park issues are agendized.

Many thanks to Joan Drachman and Stan and Kathy Cole for their donations to our cause!!!

Enjoy the green that our recent rains have brought forth, along with the muddy footprints from our pals.
Lu Meyer- Chairperson

You can help!

Get involved with PADZ!

Write to local newspapers and politicians.

Attend municipal meetings when dog parks are being discussed.

Help educate fellow park users on dog park etiquette.