224
Seventh Street, SE * Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 544-8710 * Fax: (202) 544-9712
Internet: www.chateau-animaux.com * Email: sales@chateau-animaux.com
June 21, 2004
Testimony
in Support of D.C. Dog Parks
Thank you for the opportunity to help inform the City Council in its investigation of and deliberations on the subject of D.C. Dog Parks.
My name is Patricia Leitner, and I represent Doolittle’s Chateau Animaux and its many customers, neighbors, and friends, canine and otherwise.
Doolittle’s Chateau-Animaux is an
independent retailer of fine quality gifts and supplies for companion animals,
as well as grooming, training and home delivery services.
We are located at 224 Seventh Street, SE, on Capitol Hill across from
Eastern Market. For the past ten years, we have served the needs of companion
animals and the people who care for them all across the District, and far
beyond, through our retail store and website, www.chateau-animaux.com.
In doing so, we have learned a great deal about those needs. Additionally, as a resident of D.C. for most of the past 22
years, and guardian to Stella, my canine companion, for the past seven-plus
years, I have learned a great deal about reasonably accommodating the needs of
our canine companions in urban environments.
Our testimony today is intended to share with you some of the most
important lessons we have learned about the many potential benefits of D.C. Dog
Parks, and to encourage the Council to establish Dog Parks throughout the
District.
It is important to note at the outset that a Dog Park does not place the needs of the dogs living in or near any given community over those of the people living in that community. Moreover, the typical Dog Park is not an extravagant place requiring costly upkeep. Such arguments against Dog Parks often are made not based on malice toward dogs or other companion animals, but based on a misunderstanding of Dog Parks and the companion animals who use them. In our very brief remarks, we hope to begin dispelling a few of those misconceptions, while highlighting the potential community-building and public safety benefits that could flow from D.C. Dog Parks.
Dog Parks are designated and fenced areas, often within larger parks or other recreational areas, that allow supervised off-leash activity by dogs. Although some suburban Dog Parks have streams, water fountains, benches, and “poop” bag dispensers, the only items a typical urban Dog Park requires are trash cans, secure fencing, and a sign posting the Park’s rules of behavior and hours of operation. Moreover, an urban Dog Park need not be as large as Congressional Cemetery, which has been used successfully for many, many years as a private Dog Park here in D.C. It is more important that urban Dog Parks be accessible, on foot, to the members of their surrounding communities. This is why so many urban Dog Parks are relatively small areas within existing city parks.
Dog Parks benefit the dogs and people who use them daily by providing places to safely exercise, play, train, and socialize companion dogs. Arguably, urban Dog Parks are even more valuable to their communities than their suburban counterparts because the vast majority of the residents of cities such as D.C. do not have fenced yards large enough to allow for even minimally-adequate exercise for their canine companions. Most of us understand and appreciate these facts. What is perhaps a less well-known and accepted fact, however, is that Dog Parks benefit their surrounding neighborhoods by promoting public safety and responsible animal husbandry, and by building stronger, more diverse communities. The remainder of our remarks are intended to increase awareness and promote meaningful discussion about the potential community-building and public safety benefits of D.C. Dog Parks.
Community-Building Benefits: All sorts of people in the District share their lives with dogs. Whether for companionship alone, or to assist with vital Search and Rescue or law enforcement work, or to enhance the quality of life for those with physical challenges, D.C.’s dogs are cared for by residents of all ages and abilities; races, religions, and nationalities; genders and sexual orientations; and educational and economic levels. Dog Parks allow District residents, who might share little in common except a zip code and their love of dogs, to come together as a community and get to know each other as individuals. Although, understandably, any one of us might be reluctant to approach a stranger on the street, Dog Parks help us break the ice and develop positive relationships with our neighbors. This can be an especially valuable benefit of urban Dog Parks for those residents who live alone or might be new to the community.
Moreover, Dog Parks provide residents -- particularly those with physical challenges -- a safe place to exercise and train their dogs, while relaxing and enjoying the company of their neighbors. Well-exercised, well-socialized dogs are friendlier, quieter, and all-around better neighbors. In addition, residents who might be fearful of dogs can relax in the knowledge that off-leash play will be limited to designated Dog Parks. In this way, everyone living in an urban community can share its often limited recreational parks and other resources peacefully without infringing on one another’s enjoyment of their surroundings.
Finally, we note that the role of dogs in modern society has evolved -- they are no longer “pets” but are truly members of the human caretaker’s family. While many District parks include recreational areas for human children, there are few, if any, designated areas for companion animals. Studies have shown that dogs provide humans with countless benefits, including enhanced physical and mental health. By providing designated areas for dogs to enjoy recreation, the District would also be enhancing the lives of their human guardians.
Public Safety Benefits: Whether your canine companion is a Teacup Poodle or a Giant Schnauzer, she or he will have to be taken out for exercise walks, and to answer the call of nature, several times each and every day. Dogs and the people who walk the streets with them from the early-morning to the very-late-evening hours, help deter crime by providing unofficial “orange ‘bag’” patrol services. Additionally, Dog Parks also affirmatively promote responsible canine companionship. People who use Dog Parks teach and reinforce the basic rules of responsible animal husbandry, including always cleaning up after your canine companion, and providing adequate exercise, training, and socialization with other dogs and people, as well as proper health care in the form of mandatory rabies shots and boosters (which also promotes public health). Responsible behavior learned and reinforced daily at Dog Parks will be practiced throughout the surrounding community. Finally, as noted previously, confining off-leash play to a designated Dog Park within a larger park or other recreational area will dramatically reduce the potential for undesired confrontations with dogs by joggers, bikers, and other park users.
We hope our testimony helps in your on-going investigation and deliberations on the subject of D.C. Dog Parks. Once again, we thank you for the opportunity to share our views about the potential community building and public safety benefits of urban Dog Parks.
Thank you again for this opportunity to share our comments in support of Dog Parks in the District. I would be pleased to entertain any questions you may have or supply any additional information you may require.