July 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 44

operations

Ruff Housing
Keeping the peace at dog parks
By Jess Clarke

W

hen dogs meet and mingle at dog parks, aggressive pets sometimes

create tension that spoils the party. Although it's generally just an occasional problem, when canines have a conflict, the result can be deadly.

A large dog killed a small dog at a park this year
in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, when the
pets were together in an area not intended for mixed
sizes. Though such incidents are rare in the county, the tragedy begs the question of how it could
have been avoided. The Mecklenburg County Park
and Recreation Department in Charlotte has rules
posted at each dog park and online that specify the
types of dogs not allowed, including aggressive canines. Owners are asked to leash and remove pets
that exhibit aggression, and the regulations cover other issues, such as sick animals and food for
dogs. " The users themselves really do a fair bit of
self-policing. It's odd when you have somebody not
obeying the rules, not picking up their dog's waste, "
says Michael Kirschman, Division Director for Nature Preserves and Natural Resources with Mecklenburg County.
Whether problems result from an owner who
can't or won't control a dog or inappropriate mixing of canines, self-policing can be an effective way

42	 Parks & Recreation

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to maintain peace in parks. The parks and recreation department in The Woodlands, Texas, works
with The Woodlands Dog Park Club to keep parks
peaceful. Rules are posted at dog parks, but there's
no town staff to monitor the areas constantly. The
town relies on club members and general users to
report aggressive dogs. Park rangers who respond
to reports may talk with the owner of an aggressive dog and monitor the situation. " One of the best
things we have is the element of peer pressure, "
says Chris Nunes, Director of Parks and Recreation
for The Woodlands. " Those people are our eyes
and ears. They work together to ensure a happy
place. That's really helped us improve what we're
offering. "
Park design also can improve what's offered at
dog parks and help prevent incidents of aggression. Water features and other elements are useful.
" That allows the dog and the master to interact but
not necessarily dog-on-dog interaction, " says Bill
Beckner, NRPA's research manager. In addition to



July 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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