Dogs Get a Trial Run in 2 Parks

Two Ventura parks are going to the dogs. By mid-January, canines will be allowed to socialize, chase balls and run free during specific hours in parts of Arroyo Verde and Camino Real parks.

“We’re very elated,” said Annie Dransfeldt of the Ventura Dog Owners Group, which has worked with the city for six months to set up a temporary ordinance. “I think it’s a miracle how it all worked.”

The push to permit off-leash exercise areas for dogs began in June, following a conflict between dog owners and a sports enthusiast who complained about unruly dogs. The incident resulted in the city issuing more $135 tickets to owners of untethered dogs, said Dransfeldt, who owns two dogs.

“That’s when we got together as a group to fight it,” she said.

Ventura DOG, which numbers about 400 members, petitioned city officials for park space where their dogs could get exercise without the restrictions of a leash.

The resulting ordinance, passed unanimously by the City Council on Monday night, established a six-month trial of off-leash areas. Authorized areas will be marked by signs.

Owners may remove their dogs’ leashes from 6 to 9 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 6 to 8 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the south end of Arroyo Verde Park, north of Ventura College; and from 3 p.m. to dusk daily at the west end of Camino Real Park, east of the Pacific View Mall.

Those sections of the parks were chosen, in part, because they have little or no access to residential areas or roadways, said Mike Montoya, the city parks manager. He said that should help alleviate concerns about animals attacking people or soiling nearby lawns.

The plan was developed in a matter of months because “we had a very cooperative group of citizens,” said Montoya, who owns three dogs.

Everyone wanted the same goal, Dransfeldt said. “We gave a little, they gave a little and it just came out.”

Owners who want their dogs to be leash-free will have to follow several guidelines, Montoya said.

Only nonaggressive and social dogs will be allowed without a leash. Owners must clean up after them and repair any damage to park grounds. The dogs must be licensed, vaccinated for rabies and under the voice control of someone 18 or older. Dogs must be placed on a leash at the first sign of aggression.

“Not everybody is totally satisfied, but a majority of the group is,” Montoya said.

Volunteers from Ventura DOG will maintain a sort of “dog log,” to monitor the activities of pets and their owners at each park, he said. The Police Department will still be in charge of issuing citations, but the volunteers will try to ensure that owners follow the guidelines, Montoya said.

“Those monitors will only give friendly reminders to people,” he said.

Most dog owners already police themselves through peer pressure, Dransfeldt said. “You embarrass them once or twice, then you don’t have to embarrass them anymore. We want to make sure everything goes smoothly. We don’t want any problems.”

If the six-month trial is successful, the group might try to get off-leash areas established at other parks, including a nearly 100-acre sports park planned for east Ventura. “We hope this is just Phase 1,” Dransfeldt said. “It’s a foot in the door.”

The city will evaluate the program three months after it begins to determine whether revisions are needed or if the ordinance should be made permanent.

Dog owners are very passionate about their pets, and are glad to provide them some freedom and fun, Dransfeldt said.

“Our dogs are like our children,” she said. “They keep us social, they keep us out. . . . I’m trying to give back to my dogs what they’ve given to me.”