Dogs need a best friend too

On May 9, the Dog Friendly Bloomington (DFB) group sent a letter to Councilman Andy Ruff concerning the long-standing proposal to establish an off-leash dog park accessible to dog walkers within eight Bloomington core neighborhoods. DFB was founded by BPNA neighbors Marian M. Conaty and Paul Styles two and a half years ago.

The preferred site for the dog park is on the grounds of the Carlisle Brake Plant, located diagonally across from the southeast corner of Bryan Park. Doug de Vallance, President of Operations at Carlisle, has given his approval for this use of land behind the factory. DFB envisions an enclosed, locked dog run which owners of registered dogs can access without charge.

DFB considers this a win-win solution for all parties. Having a safe, clean place for dogs to run and socialize obviously benefits the animals and their owners. It would also reduce the burden on Bryan Park, which is heavily used now and will be more so as population density increases in the area. (South Dunn St. provides one example.)

“We believe this is a wonderful opportunity to bridge two seemingly incompatible land uses for the benefit of the community,” the DFB letter to Councilman Ruff states. “Essentially, the proposed dog park would create a community-serving buffer between industrial activity and residential use. This partnership between city, industry and neighborhood would take what some view as a negative, a sprawling factory within a core neighborhood, and turn it into a positive for the entire city.”

Independently of the DFB group, an Elm Heights resident, Ron Fischman, wrote Mick Renneisen, the head of Parks and Recreation, urging the city to consider this proposal –
and other possible uses. “To my mind, the most important aspect of the proposal is the opportunity to increase the area of a core city park. The clear trend in Bloomington and the rest of the Midwest is for old factories like Carlisle to minimize new investment in their urban manufacturing facilities and eventually sell the land for its development value,” Fischman states.

Dilemma for responsible dog owners

Nature designed dogs as pack animals and hunters. They need to run and socialize with each other for their mental and physical health. DFB cites research showing that 82% of dogs returned to the Animal Shelter are returned because they show signs of aggression. The major cause for this is lack of appropriate exercise and socialization.

Currently, local dog owners have two bad options for caring for their dogs’ needs. Some owners wait until the park empties out at the end of the day and let their dogs off the leash. This is illegal. Violators can be fined; upon a second offense, the dog can be impounded for neutering. DFB knows that even well-trained dogs running free can make other park users feel uncomfortable, and would prefer a better alternative.

The available alternative is to patronize the city’s only existing dog park at Karst Farm. The DFB objects that it is “environmentally irresponsible” to drive to Karst Farms (10 miles round-trip) when a nearby location is readily available. “In the 750 (+) households of the Bryan Park neighborhood alone, national averages say that approximately 285 of our households have at least 1 dog. Just 1 trip per week to Karst Farms equals over 150,000 miles of driving per year and creates 52 tons of CO₂ gas emissions,” the DFB letter states.

Bryan Park, Elm Heights, McDoel Gardens, Eastside, SoMax, Arden Place, Walnut Creek and Pinestone are all neighborhoods whose resident dog owners could walk to the proposed Carlisle site. Its location adjacent to Bryan Park would simplify servicing this site as well.

DFB members wish to be humane responsible dog owners and environmentally good stewards,” they assured Councilman Ruff. To further this conversation with others in the community, DFB has also set up a Google group site at “Dog Friendly Bloomington”, http://groups.google.com/group/dogfriendlybloomington

Source: BPNA Newsletter, June 2008

Inside the “poop bag party”

Fourteen BPNA neighbors met at the home of BPNA president Jan Sorby on June 10 to build custom-designed PVC dispensers of bags for dog waste. These will replace the home-made containers that Liz Brown had previously fashioned from milk jugs and stocked with bags, a contribution greatly appreciated by the majority of her neighbors whose yards are cleaner as a result.

As Dick Mitchell, Jon Lawrence, Jim Gronquist, and Matt Reeder cut and fitted the PVC, atrick Siney spray-painted the containers with a stenciled paw-print pattern from Sorby Design Studio. An assembly line of volunteers assisted in putting the dispensers together, and Corinne Carpenter and Tonia Matthews stuffed them with the first set of bags. Liz Brown will see to the installation of the spiffy new containers on street signposts, as approved by the Bloomington Utility Board.

BPNA invites everybody in the neighborhood to feel free to restock the nearby dispensers with plastic grocery bags. It gets them out of your way and keeps them out of the landfill.

A Small & Simple grant from the city funded the purchase of supplies, and volunteers supplied the matching labor value. BPNA is grateful to the city, and especially to City Councilman Tim Mayer, for getting behind this grassroots initiative for a cleaner neighborhood. It is truly an example of the BPNA motto, “You don’t need to move to live in a better neighborhood.”

Source: BPNA Newsletter, June 2008

Dog Leash Laws in Bryan Park

This article was published in the Herald Times Hotline column yesterday (2/14/08). Be aware that dogs are required to be on leash at all times. The article follows:


Dogs gone wild vs. the leash and collar set

QUESTION: Our family has a complaint. For several years, there seems to have been an unwritten relaxing of the leash requirement for dogs at Bryan Park. When we try to walk our dog, the loose dogs often charge at our dog (sometimes in aggression, sometimes because they want to play), making it very difficult to control our dog. The dog owners often act as if their unrestrained pets are a completely normal situation, and we’re the crankpots. Recently we counted 13 dogs running loose. The situation has gotten so bad that our kids can’t safely walk the dog. How can we get the leash ordinance enforced at Bryan Park?

K.C., Bloomington

ANSWER: Hotline contacted Mick Renneisen, director of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, and Laurie Ringquist, Bloomington Animal Care and Control officer. The city has posted signs reminding park visitors that dogs are required to be on a leash, and animal control officers patrol the park at random times, issuing warnings and tickets as appropriate.

Ringquist said if you see an unleashed dog, call Animal Control at 349-3492 and “we will do our best to get there as soon as possible.” Often, by the time an officer arrives, the animal is leashed or gone. But if there seems to be a pattern as to days or times, please report it to Animal Control so the park can be patrolled more frequently at those times.