The
HISTORY OF BIG REC DOG
For
as long as any of us can remember, dogs have run free in the area
above the ballfields at Big Rec. One of our group's guardians claims
to have 294 years with their dogs at Big Rec. That's 42 human years.
In March, the beat gardener for Big Rec ask us to help her get covers
for the trash cans, as the ravens were continually empting them. Steve,
her District Superintendent, had ignored her pleas for two months.
Obviously, some of us dogs could chase these birds away, but some
of our number have actually been attacked by these critters and so
our guardians contacted the vender for trash can covers and started
taking a collection to help keep our area clean. Well, Steve wrote
up Vicky for "going ourside the system" by talking to the
public and simply removed the 6 trashcans, making it hard to be good
citizens.

On Sept.1
this year, RPD posted two of these signsin our area, high up in trees,
and started giving out tickets.

Being
good citizens, we put together a patition:
Yomi Agunbiade
Acting General Manager
SF Recreation and Parks Department
Mr. Agunbiade;
Big Rec Dog respectively requests formal
reorganization of an established off-leash dog area in the non-recreational
areas surrounding the Big Rec baseball fields. For as long as anyone
can remember, Recreation and Park policy has allowed dogs to run and
play in areas outside of the paved paths surrounding the Big Rec fields.
Many current guardians have safely used this space for over 42years
and a strong diverse community of dogs and guardians has developed
because of this. A changing of this policy is seriously impacting
and fracturing our community.

Per the Dog Policy
approved May 8th, 2002 this area meets the criteria defined as “Orange
Bone” :
In a park over 35 acres in size, soft barriers, clear signage defining
no-dog areas, not precluding other recreational uses, adequate garbage
cans, not a permitted active recreational area, nor is it a fragile
‘natural area’ or is the surface significantly impacted
by the use of domestic animals. Recently, Park staff has unilaterally
changed the policy and posted signage baring all off-leash dog use
of the entire area. Mounted police have begun randomly citing individual
dog guardians in areas traditionally considered off-leash space.
Per the Dog Policy approved May 8th,
2002, we request consideration of formal off-leash designation of
what has traditionally always been an established off-leash area.
Sincerely,
Big Rec Dog
We
collected 180+ signatures, representing
1,059 human years of off-leash use of Big Rec (7,423 dog years) and
presented it to the San Francico Dog Advisory Committee for consideration.
Mr. Agubiade replied with a denial
letter before the DAC could even consider our request and RPD
staff put up more signs:

They
also removed another trashcan that serves a very large area of the
Park. We civic-minded dogs pay attention to these things. Some of
our number has left their dues where the can was and a sign is.
There are now 8 signs in this small area telling us to go away, more
then in all the rest of the Park; all before even allowing the DAC
to even consider our request as required by their own Dog Policy.
A little reality check: Dogs have played off-leash
at Big Rec as long as there has been a Big Rec and we will continue
to play there. We have tried to be good citizens and work with RPD.
We are more then willing to take a part in picking up litter and doing
everything possible to make Big Rec and all of our Park the wonderful
welcoming urban retreat it should be. The actions of RPD have made
us all criminals and only served to alienate those that use and care
most deeply for our park.
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