Dog Owners Group to Hold Rally for Off-Leash Beach
Dog owners who believe Los Angeles should have more areas for dogs to romp unleashed will hold a protest rally today by the Venice Pavilion pressing their demands.
“There are 150,000 licensed dogs in the city of Los Angeles--but only three parks in which dogs can legally run unleashed,” said Daryl Barnett, president of Freeplay, an association of dog owners. By contrast, she said, the city of Santa Monica has 5,000 licensed dogs--and two such areas.
Barnett said the association had gathered 3,000 signatures demanding that part of Venice Beach be reserved for dogs to run off-leash before 8 a.m., and from an hour before sunset into the evening.
Niki Tennant, spokeswoman for Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, said that to get an off-leash beach, the group would not only have to overcome opposition from environmental groups, but also get permission from the state Department of Fish and Game, the Coastal Commission, the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, the county lifeguards and the LAPD.
“Establishing such a beach here is no simple thing,” she said. Galanter has not taken a position on the issue, Tennant said.
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