Neighbors’ Noise Complaints Hound Huntington Beach’s Pooch Park

When Huntington Beach opened its fancy dog park--complete with doggy drinking fountains and a striking tile entryway--it was an instant hit with dog lovers.

But residents who live nearby say they are being driven to distraction by the canine invasion--especially the loud barking of dozens of dogs that play there during peak hours.

The city tried to ease tensions by limiting both park hours and the number of dogs an owner could bring at any one time. It even attempted to analyze the barking by conducting a noise study.

But the complaints continued, so now officials are considering plans to move the bark park to another location.

The proposed relocation doesn’t sit well with some of the hundreds of dog owners who use it daily. But some city officials believe it is the only way to satisfy those nearby homeowners.

“It never should have been placed so close to houses” in the first place, said Mayor Debbie Cook.

Bart Hollander, who lives several hundred feet from the park, agrees.

“Against our wishes, the council decided to put it there, and it’s been a problem since day one,” he said.

The two-acre park, located next to an equestrian trail, was built in 1995 after the Best Friends Dog Park Foundation came up with the plan and money necessary to maintain the park.

The gently sloping park is covered with wood chips, plastic bag dispensers for dog poop and trash containers. For the humans, there’s a parking lot a few steps away, and shade trees and benches inside where they gather and share stories about their best friends.

Throughout the day, dogs romp with each other, free from leashes. And, dogs being dogs, they bark. And bark and bark and bark, said Hollander.

“We were wakened up virtually every weekend morning and many weekday mornings by the dogs barking,” Hollander said.

The early morning barking prompted the city to shorten the hours, which were originally 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Hollander said there is now less noise.

But when the dogs start barking, “it’s an irritant that grates on you constantly, and you never know when it’s going to happen,” he said.

The city says there can be 35 to 40 dogs in the park at one time during peak hours in the morning and afternoon. The average stay is about 30 minutes, officials said.

“We’ve had people come with 10 to 12 dogs at one time, controlled by one person,” said Ron Hagan, community services director. One person cannot keep track of so many dogs at once, officials said, so they set a limit of three dogs per person.

Changing the hours and the number of dogs per person didn’t stop the complaints, however, so the city conducted studies that found that noise from passing cars produced louder sounds than the barking.

Still, the complaints continued, so Cook asked city staff to look into moving the facility.

Officials are now looking at a new site at Central Park, along Gothard Street between Talbert and Slater avenues.

Hagan said staff will investigate soil conditions, cost, irrigation and parking there, among other things.

“This is not a slam-dunk site yet,” he said.

If the staff determines that the relocation is feasible, there will be a public hearing, and then the council will vote on the move. If it is approved, the new park could be open to dogs by March or April, Hagan said.

“If we can find a site that gives us ample room and that is complaint-proof, I don’t see any reason to fight the move,” said Dick Whissen, president of the dog foundation, adding that he doesn’t think the move is necessary.

Moving to the Gothard Street location would not be without its own problems, Hagan said. There are about 13 weekends during the year when events take place near the site, which could have an impact on the use of the park, he said, including a Civil War reenactment, Boy and Girl Scout activities and a cross-country track meet.

The prospect of a move doesn’t sit well with dog owner Shane Sherman. “A few neighbors have too much power over hundreds of people who use the park,” Sherman said as he prepared to let his dog Barkley loose.