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FYI - Animal Control Giving Tickets in Lincoln Park! Safer Dog Park needed

Started 3 years ago by gatewoodgirl
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gatewoodgirl
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For the last 2 mornings around 10:00 Animal Control has been riding through Lincoln Park in their truck looking for dogs offleash. The tickets are steep so be advised. They often have a person on foot and sneak up on you. I saw them surround a woman and her dog the other day - coming from both directions so she couldn't get away.

As a woman with a small baby I personally do not feel safe going to WestCrest Off Leash Dog Park. It is remote/out of site and there are creeps in the bushes. If something were to happen there no one would see it or know -- or hear it. West Seattle needs another SAFE dog park alternative!!!!

Posted 3 years ago #
RainyDay1235
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There are many on here who agree with you. Myself included. I feel safe if I don't go in the woods AND it's in the middle of the day, but I simply can't risk my car getting broken into there. It's crazy with all these parks and remodels going on, no one is planning any fences areas for dogs....

Posted 3 years ago #
JoB
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those of us who walk in Lincoln park need a safe place to walk without interference from unattended dogs.

I agree that another off leash park would be good.

I hope the tickets create enough urgency in those who have been ignoring the law to make them lobby for another park.

in the meantime.. perhaps it would be better less expensive to obey the leash laws.

Posted 3 years ago #
guidosmom
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I am glad they have been handing out tickets. As the owner of a small dog who has been attacked by off leash dogs, I am terrified any time I am approached by an off leash dog. I like West Crest, and have never felt unsafe there, but I agree very much. There needs to be more off leash dog parks. I have taken my dogs over to Luther Burbank on Mercer Island. It's not far when there's not traffic. The dog park isn't completely fenced though, but the dogs do have access to the lake (not fun this time of year).

Posted 3 years ago #
Moose Jaw
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10 am on week days? They should enforce after 5 pm if they really want to send a message.

Posted 3 years ago #
datamuse
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I'm really glad to read this. Y'all have read most of my reasons already, and they can basically be summed up as follows: I stopped going to Westcrest, not because of creeps in the bushes (never found any, though occasionally came across where they'd been) or car break-ins, but because I was sick and tired of being aggressively approached, chased, and even nipped by off-leash dogs outside the fenced area.

If they're enforcing in Lincoln, maybe they'll give Westcrest a look, too.

Posted 3 years ago #
RainyDay1235
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Westcrest is an off-leash dog park and you are taking your chances there. If you listen to most dog trainers, they are NOT pro-dog parks. As much as playgroups are, they just as easily teach your dog bad manners. My friend's dog just had surgery from a dog park interaction.

At LP last weekend, a small free-roaming puppy charged my (leashed) dog. Luckily b/c it was a puppy mine just backed up and tried to get away. If it had been a bigger dog mine would have held her ground, bared her teeth and 'defended' her space. My dog happily walks on a leash and loves the park, but has a bad history of abuse, was rescued from a hoarding situation - and immediatley feels threatened when charged.

REMINDER to dog owners, just because you think your dog is ok, all others might not be. And not everyone thinks it's cute to be charged by your dog...friendly or not.

Posted 3 years ago #
datamuse
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RainyDay: I wouldn't be complaining as much if these incidents had happened inside the off-leash area. I know perfectly well that I'd be taking my chances.

What I object to is being unable to walk or run through the rest of the park without some sort of incident.

I've gone to LP instead before, but it's not walking distance for me and, as this thread indicates, the problem is just as bad there.

Posted 3 years ago #
RS
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So, I mostly wanted to test out my new avatar and this seemed an appropriate thread. :) But- I'm glad to see that they're finally taking this issue seriously in Lincoln Park. I've never felt sketched out in Westcrest, but we go during the day and we walk there so no worrying about car break-ins.

Posted 3 years ago #
Diane
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yay!!!
~
so glad to hear Animal Control is actively patroling & ticketing off-leash dog owners in Lincoln Park

Posted 3 years ago #
shihtzu
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I agree on both sides. I don't want dogs off leash at Lincoln Park, but I also won't go to Westcrest. It's creepy and I've had bad experiences with people not watching their dogs at all. I'd LOVE a dog park at Lincoln Park or somewhere more populated.

Posted 3 years ago #
westseattledood
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Hey -

Yikes, we were walking there at the same time. They use to drive their truck through...didn't know they were on foot these days.

Two of them surrounded her? I would have died of embarrassment. But, we walk on leash at Lincoln. Is the fine for in the park the same as the fine for having a dog on the beach, $500? Just curious.

Posted 3 years ago #
GenHillOne
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How hard would it be to fence off an area in a park the size of Lincoln? For that matter, a section of beach for swimming?

Posted 3 years ago #
westseattledood
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No - would not be hard to throw up a fence, for sure. But I think an argument against these dedicated spaces is environmental impact: feces coliform on the protected beach habitats, and the presence of animated dogs inhibiting wildlife. Maybe - just theorizing here people - based on the word-of-mouth stories I've been told by folks who helped create Westcrest out of the greenbelt which surrounds it.

BUT, the fact that there is ABUNDANT wildlife of all species presently observable within the greenbelt which abuts Westcrest, might be evidence that dogs and wildlife areas can co-exist. I still see hawks, falcons, eagles, native squirrels, and innumerable song birds in the greenbelt behind Westcrest. SO, perhaps such an argument might, in fact, be a bit weak, based on observational evidence. How that gets quantified for an organized effort to find space for another off-leash area in WS is way beyond my knowledge....

Posted 3 years ago #
aunteesocial
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I had contacted Animal Control a couple weeks ago about this issue, and actually had an officer leave a voice mail on Thursday saying that they had received my email, along with many other complaints and that they had been patrolling and issuing citations.
I thought it was pretty great that they got back to me, and that when enough people voice their concerns something actually happens.
While it may not solve the off-leash issue at Lincoln, it's action.. and that is better than the issue being ignored at this park.
I was walking my hounds yesterday and so wanted to walk through the grass in another West Seattle park yesterday and saw one black dog playing fetch, turned my dogs around and tried again after walking around a couple blocks and saw another blond dog running around. We had to skip this part of the walk altogether.
Living in the Land of Entitlement.

Posted 3 years ago #
rykrite
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I keep my dog on a leash pretty much everywhere except in our yard/home....and I wish I had some safe places to let him run, because he can run circles around me. Add me to the list of people who don't feel safe at WestCrest, so I don't go there any more. I would LOVE an off-leash area at Lincoln Park. I pick up my dog's poop everywhere he leaves it, and an off-leash area would be no different.....it would be great to have a place where he could run and romp without bothering anyone AND where I could feel safe.

Posted 3 years ago #
j
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Thanks to everyone who has expressed their dislike for Westcrest. I too think I'm a responsible pet owner and usually take my dog to Luther Burbank on Mercer Island because Westcrest makes me uneasy. I don't know if it's because I worry about my car being broken into or the uncomfortable interactions with those soliciting for sex. I just can't wait for Luther Burbank to finish their dog park enhancements, not to mention their beach in the dog park is great!

Posted 3 years ago #
hopey
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For those who still feel it's okay to walk their dogs off leash, please read this first-person blog post from Ahimsa Dog Training.
http://ahimsadogtraining.com/blog/2008/11/03/off-leash-dog-hike/

A quote:

It is because of people who blithely think, “My dog loves everyone!” that hundreds of thousands of people can’t even walk their dogs, for fear of being approached by an off leash dog.

.

Posted 3 years ago #
cruiser
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FYI,Luther Burbank off leash is closed at moment due to ongoing works. It is expected to reopen in a month.There is a temporary fabic fence around a small area near the north car lot but really doesn't work as the dogs just run through it:)

Posted 3 years ago #
beachdrivegirl
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GHO, Lincoln Park will never have an off leash park b/c it is considered a homestead. I inquired into the parks department a little over a year ago.

Posted 3 years ago #
angelescrest
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Our 45 lb.-ish f. Golden/Aussie at about a year is longing to romp like the pup she is, and our yard is big and rompable, if a bit muddy. If you have a like-minded dog, let me know.

angelescrestk at gmail dot com

Posted 3 years ago #
JoB
Member Profile

hopey..

thanks for the link. i didn't know about the growly dog class and i think yuki is about ready for that kind of training...

i will contact them... thanks again..

as a best friend to two rehabbed Shibas... i am always looking for resources to help us on our journey.

Posted 3 years ago #
ellenater
Member Profile

There is an offleash beach park in Edmonds that is awesome. There is also one on Lake Washington, fyi.

I love Westcrest. I've had a few experiences of people not watching their dogs but most of the time, it's great. The people I see there all the time are very attentive, know all the dogs names, and are really responsible. I've been to most dog parks all over Seattle and Westcrest is great. Greenlake is HORRIBLE. Maybe you guys should give it another chance. It's also beautiful and peaceful.

Also, I disagree that it's bad to ever take most dogs to an off leash park, from a training perspective. You just have to be aware of the energy and know how to recognize signs from your own and other dogs. There are days when we only stay ten minutes because Coco isn't gelling with the vibe. Other days we stay for hours.

I, too am glad they are ticketing at Lincoln. I'm trying to train my dog to walk correctly on leash and it never helps when other dogs get to run circles around her.

Posted 3 years ago #
westseattlejournalist
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Hey Everyone,

I'm a guest journalist for west seattle blog and a UW journalism student. The editor for this blog and I want to do a full article on this topic to let dog owners and Lincoln Park walkers know about animal control enforcing the law. If any of you who have seen animal control handing out tickets or are regular walkers in Lincoln Park are willing to do a phone or e-mail interview with me this week please contact me at vaguem@u.washington.edu We would like to get this story out while the issue is still fresh.
Thanks

Posted 3 years ago #
WSB
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I'm vouching for the above post. "WSJ" contacted me with the suggestion and I'm all for it. But it's hard to just show up at Lincoln Park and expect the circumstances to be re-created. Thanks!

Posted 3 years ago #