Lodi parks commission to consider separate areas for small and large dogs
After a dog was mauled to death at the Vinewood Dog Park earlier this month, the Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the possibility of having separate areas in the park for small and large dogs during Tuesday’s meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. at Carnegie Forum.
“We’re going to see if they have any interest in segregating our two major dog exercise areas based on dogs’ size,” said Jeff Hood, parks, recreation and cultural services director. “We’ll explore a few things and allow the public to weigh in on what they think on how the dog exercise areas should be managed and take that feedback and see if we can make any improvements”
If the commission does decide to move forward with creating separate areas for dogs based on size, the major obstacles standing in the way would be funding and maintenance, Hood said.
“One of the issues is the fencing in the storm drain basins,” Hood said. “The fences will collect debris that comes in from the street and it will require more maintenance. It will also inhibit the flow in and out of the basins, so we anticipate that we would have areas that would stay underwater and muddier for longer periods of time which would not allow us to keep the parks open and avoid damage to the turf.”
In the past the department had considered charging a fee to use the dog park in order to fund improvements but said the idea was met with “less than positive feedback.”
According to Hood, the upcoming meeting will determine whether the park will remain as is or if modifications will be made.
On March 6, Rebecca Knowles was leaving the park with family members when her dachshund mix, Honey, was viciously mauled by two larger dogs.
Since the attack, Honey has been cremated and returned to Rebecca, according to Animal Services Officer Jordan Kranich, who responded to the incident. The two dogs involved in the attack were released to their owners after 10 days in quarantine and their owner paid the necessary fees. They have been removed from the City of Lodi and have been sent to San Diego for obedience training, Kranich said.
This was the first incident of a dog being attack by other dogs at the park that Hood can recall in the six years he’s been with the parks and rec department.
“We have had dogs attacked in other parks, but not in dogs parks,” Hood said. “We would ask the people if they have aggressive dogs that they don’t bring them to dog parks. If they don’t know the temperament of their dogs don’t bring them to a dog park.”
Kranich said it’s also the first incident of this magnitude that he’s aware of. He said he is not opposed to having separate areas for dogs based on size.