Lodi dog park dilemma
Should big dogs be separated from smaller dogs?
Two recent incidents resulting in the deaths of two small dogs at Vinewood Dog Park has sparked a debate about whether or not there should be separate areas for smaller and larger dogs at the park.
While some argue that the city needs to do more to ensure safety at the dog park, Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Jeff Hood argues that the city is doing the best it can with limited resources and little engagement from the community.
Due to the safety concerns as well as a lack of amenities, some users say they have opted to use other parks in neighboring cities.
The issue Lodi resident and dog park user Michael Falkenberg recently sent a letter of concern to Hood requesting that Vinewood Park, a fenced basin where dogs can run free, have separate areas for large and small dogs.
The request came after two small dogs were mauled to death by larger dogs, one in March and one in May.
“The biggest thing is safety,” Falkenberg said. “A lot of these dogs we see are 100 or 125 pounds, and you’re putting them in there with Chihuahuas and poodles or dogs that are 25 pounds or less. It’s just setting it up for some probability of having a safety issue where bigger dogs attack smaller dogs. They don’t even have a fighting chance.”
Falkenberg said that dog owners want to feel a sense of safety and security for themselves and their dogs, and recalls instances where other dog owners felt threatened by the presence of larger dogs in the park.
On one occasion, Falkenberg said, there were 15 to 20 small dogs in the park when a woman entered with a large pit bull.
“She had it on the leash when she walked in, and the minute she did (walk in) everyone of those dog owners left out.”
At that time, Falkenberg had just arrived with his small dog, and everyone was fleeing the park and warning him not to enter the park.
“That girl stood out there and she took her dog off the leash, and sure enough, that thing came full speed running down there at the end where we were at and was jumping on the fence,” he said. “Just imagine if we’d all been in there. It could’ve grabbed anyone’s dog.”
In response to Falkenberg’s concerns, Hood said that he also supports the idea of separate areas for small and large dogs, but added that Falkenberg was the first person to contact him with this request in his 61⁄2 years as parks and rec director.
He said that in 2014 he tried to rally the support of dog park users to apply for a grant to make the park more safe, but was unable to garner enough support to secure the grant.
In 2015, Hood said city staff proposed the idea of creating a dog park with separate areas at Lawrence Park, but council did not approve it. He also noted that a local parks measure that failed to pass in 2016 would have provided $25,000 for upgrades to the dog park.
Also, in April the Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission held a meeting to address the issue, and several Vinewood Park users spoke against the separate areas, so the commission opted to leave the park as is.
Falkenberg found it surprising that he was the only person to have contacted Hood about the issue, saying that in recent years he has regularly heard from other concerned dog owners.
Lodi resident Sally St. John, who has a large mixed breed dog named Jules, said she and her sister, who also has a large dog, are frequent users of Vinewood Park, and like Falkenberg they see the need for separate areas.
“I think it would be best for all,” she said. “I think it would make the smaller dogs feel more comfortable in an area of there own because the larger dogs do intimidate them.”
Jan Smith, the owner of a medium-sized saluki/corgi mix named Sugar, agreed with St. John, saying that a lot of the smaller dogs are aggressive because they feel intimated by the larger dogs.
“The other night when I walked to the park there was a small one that came running to the gate and was growling and barking, and as soon as I touched the gate he growled even louder,” she said. “So I walked my dog down to the other gate to go in.”
She suggested sectioning off an area on the higher ground for not only the safety of smaller dogs but for the elderly dog owners who have a hard time in the basin.
Smith recalled when her dog was attacked by another dog in the park. According to Smith, she and Sugar had just made a lap around the park when Sugar approached a Labrador to sniff him. The Labrador had a ball in its mouth and was growling. Smith said she immediately took Sugar to the other end of the park to separate the two dogs and avoid confrontation. However, the Labrador’s owner eventually brought the dog closer to where Smith and Sugar were, and the Labrador came running towards Sugar. Once he reached Sugar, Smith said, the dog dropped the ball and attacked her. Sugar suffered puncture wounds to the neck, and Smith believes if it had been a smaller dog it wouldn’t have survived like Sugar did.
Tom Talkowski, a dog owner from Stockton who works near Vinewood Park, said he has visited other dogs parks that offer separate areas for smaller dogs and feels there is plenty of space at Vinewood Park to utilize the same concept. He said the signage at the park should emphasize that no aggressive dogs are allowed in the park.
Debbie Salaices, who currently has a smaller dog named Buddy and has had larger dogs in the past, said another reason to have separate areas is because many dog owners do not pay attention and are distracted by cells phones when they visit the park. She said it’s harder to grab smaller dogs out of the way when they are unleashed and in the line of danger.
Rebecca Knowles, whose dog Honey was killed at the park back in March, said that she and her attorney Whitney Davis are currently working to put together a petition for separate areas in dog parks.
“I think we’re going to continue to see these large dog on small dog events until there is separation,” Davis said. “We need the experts to give us the old studies that were originally created upon which this park (Vinewood) is based upon, and I want to compare that to the best practices manual that another organization has come up with.”
Davis said it’s not about suing people, but stopping it from happening again.
“It’s about solving the problem,” Davis said. “I’m not surprised something else happened, and I think that they are going to continue to happen until the city puts in a barrier.”
Lodi Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce, who doesn’t own a dog but does have a cat, said she appreciates the concern.
“Our pets for most people are like our children, and we want to do the very best job we can in keeping them as safe as we can,” she said. “It’s very difficult to be a good and responsible pet owner, and I think this is the reason why these two incidents happened.”
If the city had the funding for separate areas for large and small dogs, it would be the perfect scenario, Mounce said.
“I’m not so sure they are in a financial position in parks and rec to achieve those goals, but I’d also like to speak with the majority of the folks that use Vinewood to see if they’d be interested in splitting that area or if they would be interested in separating the smaller dogs and larger dogs not just by fence but geographically.”
Solutions/alternatives
Falkenberg says that dog owners in Lodi have begun to seek out other dog parks in surrounding cities like Stockton and Galt.
The Kiwanis Bark Park in Galt is equipped with dog ramps, climbers, tires and benches and also has two separate areas for the dogs.
However, the areas are not necessarily to separate the larger and smaller dogs, Galt Parks and Recreation Director Armando Solis said, but to make sure there is at least one area open to the public if one is closed for maintenance.
The park is very well attended and has had very few complaints or incidents, Solis said.
“We have had our issues just like any other dog park,” he said. “It hasn’t been to the extent of what Lodi has had recently, but dogs are going to be dogs. As much as we think they’re going to be human, they’re not. They’re dogs, and they act instinctively. They will from time to time become confrontational with each other, and we just hope our patrons are in control of their dogs wandering the dog park.”
Hood agreed that the Galt location is a nice park, but said the City of Galt spends approximately 50 percent more per capita on parks and recreation than the City of Lodi.
Solis said Galt’s park was funded primarily through the city’s parks and recreation fund — the main revenue driver is the Galt Market — and partially funded by district taxes.
Mounce noted that the Barkleyville Dog Park in Stockton is a reputable dog park and offers a separate area for small dogs.
“It’s the most awesome dog park you’ve ever been to in your entire life,” she said.
The park features three areas, including one for big dogs over 20 pounds, one for small dogs 20 pounds and under, and a separate play/agility course.
The park is also equipped with benches and water fountains for both people and dogs.
According to Connie Cochran, public information officer for the City of Stockton, in 2006-2007 about $680,000 was initially appropriated to the construction of the park, and an additional $197,000 was appropriated in 2007-08 to cover the remaining cost.
Cochran said the park is very popular and there have been no fatal incidents.
“Our owners are pretty good about policing themselves when they are out there using that park,” Cochran said. “This park has a core group of people that are really good about keeping an eye on it and making sure things go smoothly.”
While Barkleyville is Stockton’s main dog park, the city also has areas dedicated to dogs at Michael Faklis Park (5259 Cosumnes Drive) and P. E. Weston Park (3641 Ews Woods Boulevard).
Besides Vinewood Dog Park in Lodi, Beckman Park has an designated area for dogs to roam off leash, and Lawrence Park and Lodi Lake both allow dogs on leash. However, dogs are not allowed in the nature area at Lodi Lake.
In order to solve the safety issues at Vinewood Park, Falkenberg requested that a 180-foot fence with gate access be provided to separate the larger dogs from the smaller dogs. The installation would create an area for larger dogs on the west end of the park and an area for smaller dogs on the east end. In addition to separating the dogs, Falkenberg suggested that more fencing be added to keep dogs from running into the street.
According to Hood, installing a fence to divide the existing dog park will not work because it’s located in a basin, and the fence would affect storm drainage and trap debris. His department doesn’t have enough staff to maintain that, Hood said.
“Putting the fencing in would just simply create more work and effort that takes time away from other park projects and tasks,” Hood said.
After the most recent dog death at Vinewood Park, Hood said he has instructed staff to look into the cost of turning the high ground area closest to the Mills Avenue and Virginia Street intersection at the park into an area for small dogs.