Ashland, Oregon and Dogs (neighborhood, gated, living in)

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by kate_lyn

That’s what we have in Ashland: parks supported by taxes, but a majority of townspeople – dog owners – have only limited access to those otherwise public places.

The same as everybody else, dog owners have full access to these public places. For good reasons, they just can't take their dogs into them.

[kate_lyn]

Originally Posted by karlsch

The same as everybody else, dog owners have full access to these public places. For good reasons, they just can't take their dogs into them.

Sorry - that's not full access. Parents with small kids and the family dog cannot picnic together in Ashland's parks, as I could with my kids in other places. Mothers with children in push-chairs cannot take the child and the dog together on a walk in the park but must brave the sidewalk-free streets complete with car exhaust and traffic hazards, including runners and bikes. It's not fair, and there is no rational reason for it. Moreover, it's foolish to say, in this day and age, that "separate but equal" is OK. We've been down that road before. It's very definitely not OK. (and this definitely is my very last visit - clearly the impetus for community spirit is moribund if not dead in Ashland)

[ExNooYawk]

Sheesh, Kate. I thought it was just a surface issue of not wanting too much doggie do in the park due to inconsiderate owners. You've got a whole conspiracy-type thing going on. Wow.

It would be so much nicer if we could clear out those vagrants from the fountain in the Plaza. In our five years of living here, we've never been able to sit and relax on the Plaza. These people aren't OWS protesters, they are just the usual vagrants; perhaps the same ones contributing to the rise in e-coli in the creek during the summer. Imagine how much higher those levels would be if dogs were allowed in the park. The place is already so busy on weekends, we avoid it.

[3gingerb5]

Hot News!! Vadrem was wrong. A while back Vadrem announced that Ashland's dog policy would never change. Well - maybe Vadrem is a weatherman ().
Today Ashland City announced that for at least 1 year, 9 city parks will be open for dog walking. It's a pretty minor concession - dogs on 6-ft leashes, never allowed to play fetch, never allowed past the 6 feet of grass closest to paved pathways - but it's something. Personally, I'll venture a guess that Ashland will rescind this very uncharacteristic act of expansiveness when the "trial" is over - but you never know. Anyway, it's good for Ashland's pr. The newspaper article mentions that the spreading news about Ashland's dog policy is what constituted the pressure for change - not the needs and safety of citizens and their dogs. Oh well. Whatever works.

[susan423]

It always blows me away when Im in a place that my dog is not allowed to go in to and I see kids with there sticky fingers and mouths all over the place. I certainly wouldn't drink out of a fountain that a kid just drank from. My dog is so much cleaner and quieter then most kids I've seen. I was in a very nice restuant yesterday and a kid at the next table was screaming at the top of his lungs. And yet my quiet little dog was not allowed.

[Fiddlehead]

Being the rebel that I am, I take my dogs and kid to the nearby park and play fetch. I never step out the front door without leashes and several bags to pick up any "deposits." Seems like the us vs. them attitude has been unproductive. Certainly, dogs should not be in Lithia Park. That is a tourist mainstay and with the ducks, swans,etc. Completely incompatible. In most of the other parks, dogs and people can coexist, if the pet owners defer to human uses (no commandeering a baseball diamond for fetch, digging and pooping in sand boxes,etc.), and the dog owners are particularly conscious and self-policing on dog behavior and doo. I visit the schools and parks during off hours, or play fetch at the far edges of fields, and ALWAYS pick up doo. In fact, I pick up extra doo that I see while out and about. The limiting thing is bags. It would be great if there were little kiosks around with dog bags, and they should be funded by the dog owners.

I'll admit, talk is cheap, and I have yet to organize the dog owners to not only lobby for our "rights" (priviledges really) but to articulate our duties to our fellow dogless citizens. Clearly, dog owners need to take the initiative in good will.

[ExNooYawk]

Hey there, 3ginger, you beat me to it. Yes, Ashland has opened up nine parks to dogs and will be providing clean-up bags, too. The difficulty may be that owners have to keep them on the pavement and/or six feet from it.

[Fiddlehead]

The difficulty is that with a pair of rescues (border collie and heeler), the only way I can wear them out is with a game of fetch. A nice walk does nothing but bore them. They need to run, preferably to sprint for about 30 "chases" per day, or they drive me crazy (the heeler will follow me around the house obsessively and bark at anything, if not exercised). And they are both eight years old ( I cannot imagine having a one year old lab!). I am always with them, and always pick up, and they never hassle anyone, and I am only in the park about 20 minutes a day. But leashes and pavement are pretty restrictive.

I take them with me jogging up in the hills as often as I can, but my old knees just cannot keep up, and I am pretty young for an Ashlander.

My next dog will be a papillon. Kind of smart and sweet like a collie, but easier to tire out (I hope!).

[claudhopper]

Originally Posted by Vaedrem

Lol, every single one of your posts has been the same reactionary Ashland-hating diatribe and ignorant tripe about Ashland "hating dogs." No, they're not allowed in parks; get over it, and move on. Many people with dogs live in Ashland and are fine with the way things are, feel it is a very friendly place for them and their pets to live. Brenda is right; letting people take dogs anywhere and do anything they choose to them is not really "friendly" at all. I think what is more friendly is the bill I witnessed several years ago that would have made it illegal to tie a dog up for more than ten hours a day or so. People in Ashland don't want the parks polluted, but are very interested in being kind to animals.

In CA we made it illegal to tether a dog for more than 3 hours at a time. I love it. I would like to see a comeback of noise ordinances that are enforced. Incessant barking dogs are neglected dogs, and a breach of the my peace. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs. I just hate it when they are neglected and left outside with no companionship. One way to curb that is with noise ordinances.

[Estevao]

I just found a new city sign today prohibiting animals ("strictly enforced") on a path I have walked my dog on for a couple years, poop bags in tow. The path goes through a field where no one picnics or plays. I haven't seen any damage from dogs and rarely see anyone on the path. Why ban dogs here? I agree for the most part with the folks that feel Ashland is anti-dog. Compared to most towns and cities I have to agree. I do find that many business welcome my dog with smiles and often treats so I don't think this comes from the business community. The recent law is a PR ploy in my opinion. In a few parks we can now walk our dogs on the sidewalks and allow them to wander six feet into the grass on either side. Beyond that, we are lawbreakers.