UPDATE – Some people raised legitimate concerns about my post that I should address:
- Seattle dog owners should not run their dogs off-leash wherever they please.
- I don’t think people should walk their dogs around Seattle off-leash. Ever.
- Aggressive or unpredictable dogs should always be on-leash.
- We have 2 dogs. One of them is reactive so we never allow him off-leash where he would be a threat to other dogs. The dog I talk about in this post is a ball obsessed lab that focuses all her attention on chasing the ball and completely ignores other dogs. If she posed any threat to other dogs I would not allow her off-leash.
- The point of my post was not to encourage dog owners to protest against the city’s lack of open space by ignoring Seattle’s leash laws. I just wanted to show how the city’s lack of open space for dogs affects me and offer a solution (allowing dogs on some ball fields that are unused 8 months out of the year) that isn’t mention in the Parks Board long term plan for the city’s off-leash areas.
Thank you for all your comments.
Lack of Off-Leash Areas Leads Me to Violate Seattle’s Leash Law
That’s right, I’m guilty.
Kinnear off-leash area is Seattle’s newest and smallest dog park. It’s only .1 of an acre and doesn’t have enough room for larger dogs to get exercise. Photo from bagshaw.seattle.gov.
And it’s not the first time I’ve committed this crime.
The reason for my lawlessness? Seattle doesn’t have enough large off-leash areas.
We have a ball-obsessed Labrador Retriever (is there any other kind?) that needs lots of vigorous exercise several days a week to burn off energy and stay healthy. To play fetch she needs to have a large open area that gives her enough room to run.
Limited Options
Here are the legal options in/near my neighborhood if I want to take her to an off-leash area:
Kinnear Park Off-Leash Area
Extremely small – just .1 of an acre
No parking nearby during the week
Magnolia Manor Off-Leash Area
Extremely small – just .5 acres
Large section covered only with gravel, which is difficult for dogs to run on
Gets extremely crowded easily because it’s so small
If I want to go to larger off-leash dog parks I have to drive to Golden Gardens or Woodland Park Off-Leash Areas.
Part of the interior of Golden Gardens is fenced off because it’s always wet and muddy, and Woodland Park has a giant hill in the middle of it that leaves a much smaller area where there is enough space for a game of fetch, especially if the park is crowded.
More importantly to me is that, assuming traffic isn’t too awful (which is a bad assumption in traffic-choked Seattle), I have to spend at least 30 minutes driving back and forth to these off-leash areas from my house.
Easier Options
So, if I want to play fetch with my dog, the easiest option is to go to a public baseball field about a mile from my house. Virtually no one uses it for 8 months out of the year.
When it’s used during baseball/softball season in the summer, no one is usually there until late afternoon. I often see other dog owners exercising their dogs as well.
The reason I break Seattle’s off-leash law is simple: The number of adequate off-leash areas has not kept up with the large influx of dog owners into the city.
For an estimated 150,000 dogs, Seattle has 25 acres of off-leash land in 14 parks. Seattle’s population has increased almost 18% since 2000. During this period Seattle increased its total OLA acreage by 2.3 acres, or about 10%.
Half of this land is found in a single inaccessible, underutilized OLA under I-5 (I-5 Colonnade). The other OLAs are extremely tiny like Kinnear Park and Magnolia Park.
Furthermore, a recently survey conducted by Citizens for Off-Leash Areas (COLA) found that the #1 reason non-OLA users in Seattle don’t use them is that they aren’t conveniently located. It also found that 48% said having an off-leash area close to home is the most important factor determining whether they would use it.
Over the last few months the Seattle Board of Parks Commissioners have worked on a Draft Master Plan “to identify a long term plan for Seattle’s off-leash areas (OLAs) as well as for the maintenance, acquisition, and expansion of OLA projects.”
No Specific Plans for New Off-Leash Areas
Unfortunately, the draft of the plan released last summer contained no specific plans to add more off-leash area to the city. Last week at a public meeting held by the Board, several dog owners expressed their frustration that the plan doesn’t include new off-leash areas.
At a public meeting last month dog owners expressed frustration that the Parks Board didn’t include any off-leash dog parks in Seattle Parks’ draft plan. Photo from Seattle DogSpot
Money and space restrictions were among the reasons the Board gave for not including new dog parks in the plan. But here’s what I don’t understand: Why won’t the Board allow off-leash dogs on Seattle’s ballfields that no one uses several months out of the year?
It would cost almost nothing. And it would give people immediate access to dozens of new areas where their dogs can go off-leash.
Wouldn’t this be an inexpensive, innovative way to give more space for off-leash dogs?
If the Board is hesitant to make a change, it could initiate a pilot program at one of the ballfields and see how it would works.
Why won’t the Board consider this option?
Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the county. Unless the Board comes up with some innovative solutions to our shortage of off-leash areas soon, this problem will continue to worsen, and many Seattle dog owners, including me, will continue to skirt Seattle’s leash law.
You can email comments about the plan to Rachel.Acosta@seattle.gov until October 14.
The Board will finalize the plan in December and submit it to the Seattle City Council in 2017.
It’s self-centered and irresponsible for people to let their dogs run off-leash in public areas that aren’t designated for that purpose. First, I’m sure the ball fields are off-limits because many people don’t pick up after their dogs, so encouraging people to join in this protest could backfire as a way to persuade the city that you deserve more off-leash areas. Second, your illegal off-leash dog puts mine at risk when we legally walk past your ball field. Many dogs experience barrier frustration on leash. At the least, my dogs will bark and feel threatened when we encounter your dog. At worst, your off-leash dog will injure my dog or get injured itself. Get over yourself and drive a little farther to get to a park big enough to accommodate you and your dog.
I answered your comment on FB so I won’t repeat it here. As I said, I would never do this with my dog if she bothered other dogs.
I live over there, my dog gets very excited and dog centered. Yes it is something to work on by MY dog is on a leash. A dog running about off leash any where near him drags his focus from me, and my being very small and him not so small abuses an issue. Never mind that regardless of if your dog is “nice” if it started coming towards mine it could trigger an aggressive response. There’s another man in this neighborhood who does it with his Chesapeake bay and that dog has run up to my leashes dog more than once, aiding a huge issue. No one is above the law…. leash your dog please, you are not the only one out here.
Just remember when your illegal off lead dog comes running up to my, and other legally leashed, reactive dogs and gets mauled it’s completely and utterly your fault. If you want your dog to run and get good exercise then how about you stop being lazy and act like a responsible dog owner and do an activity like agility or nose work that will give your dog more physical and mental exercise then chasing a ball ever will.
I only allow my dog off-leash to play at the ball friend. She’s always on leash otherwise. She is only concerned about the ball and completely ignores other dogs. If she didn’t I wouldn’t allow her off leash there.
Regardless of what your dog does, this piece encourages the attitude that it’s okay for dogs to be off-leash in public areas without considering how it affects other people and dogs. Not everyone who follows suit will have such well-behaved dogs.
As Chair of Citizens for Off-Leash Areas, we want it known that the vast majority of Seattle dog owners are begging for more areas to recreate legally with their dogs. In all of Seattle, there is only one off-leash area that is grass-covered. Seattle’s OLA system is surfaced in gravel, muddy and dark, and half of our dog parks are under an acre — many 0.1 acres, 0.2 acres, or 0.3 acres. Magnolia Manor, Seattle’s newest dog park and the only legal space in which to let your dog run in all of Magnolia, is currently being downsized to make room for other uses of that park. Civil disobedience, such as this post describes, is happening across our city every day — and it’s not selfish people who are doing it. It’s desperate Seattlites with wild family members who are cooped up all day while we work to afford our mostly yardless homes. And lest you think that dog ownership is privilege that only people with yards should have (i.e., rich or suburban), be aware the Seattle police department advises burglary victims to get a dog — statistically dog ownership is nearly equivalent to burglars believing the home is currently occupied with humans, driving down break ins 70-90% in one study. And beyond that, they are an urban way to fight social isolation — lately being described as an epidemic in American cities — as dogs drive us out of our homes into our communities and to meet our neighbors.
Having said that, no one is unclear that off-leash dogs are a PROBLEM for co-existing with non-dog owners or with dog owners whose dogs cannot be off-leash. COLA exists precisely for that purpose, to find more LEGAL ways to manage both needs in a dense urban environment.
But this year, the city spent over 100k on a master plan which did nothing more than up enforcement. No plan for addtional legal land. Only because thousands of dog owners have begun protesting publicly — and sending emails, speaking to the press, etc. — has the City started to work with COLA toward more legal land in Seattle. More legal land, in every neighborhood, is required to manage our urban livestock (which we call family).
Note btw, that this is no different than families with children requiring a children’s playground for their kids (Seattle has 150 not including school playgrounds for less than 100,000 children), or families with skateboarding teens wanting a skate park in their part of town (Seattle has 11 for 20,000 skateboarders). Dog owners pay taxes, both property and sales tax, to maintain the park system — yet we have only 14 dog parks in all of Seattle, 6 of which are tiny. Compare that to Portland (33), Vancouver (36), San Francisco (29), …
BTW, until October 14th, Seattle Parks is taking public comment on this issue. Go to SeattleCola.org to send an email to the appropriate authorities. Thanks!
OK, thanks everyone for your thoughts — we totally agree that both NON-dog owners and Dog Owners need to be respected by the City’s policies. But until they are, our ever densifying city is going to have arguments like this. Let’s keep it respectful!
Thank you, COLA for the work you do on behalf of Seattle dog owners and keeping us informed about the draft plan from Settle Parks. If enough of us speak out maybe they will incorporate your ideas into the final plan.
Your child’s pediatrician told you for his health he needed to get outside and play and get real honest exercise with other children. The only thing your child really loves to do that will give him the adequate exercise and social interaction is play baseball. Unfortunately all the baseball fields in your neighborhood and the neighborhood next to yours are identified as adult only fields. Hmm. What would you do? Let your child and her friends play ball in the adult field when it isn’t being used even if it was against the law?
Dog owners are just asking for their fair share of legal space in the city
Exactly, thank you.
I used to feel equally frustrated by the state of the fenced in off leash parks when we lived in New York City. We also have a ball chaser. Then I found out they had designated off leash hours in designated large grassy areas within several public parks throughout the city during hours when the parks are highly unused by people and their families – 6AM to 9AM and again after 9PM. We took full advantage of this and found that the people who chose to bring their dogs to the parks were on the whole very responsible about picking up after their pooches and keeping them within the (large) but unfenced designated areas. There was enough room for us to always find a spot to play catch with our dog and for other dogs to socialize, run with their owners, whatever they cared to do. There seemed to be a lot fewer negative interactions among the dogs as well, perhaps a result of not being crammed in to a tiny area with no way out. It would be really great to see something similar adopted here. It requires no additional special space to be made and encourages more use of the public spaces we already have.
Contrary to what many people think about lazy dog owners who do things like not pick up after their dogs (yes, I know there are plenty of those, just as their are people who don’t pick up after themselves or their children in public spaces) people tend to take pride and interest in taking care of spaces that they enjoy and are able to use regularly.
Thanks for your perspective. You’d think that if a city as large at NYC can allow dog owners to run their dogs off leash at designated hours in city parks we could do it here as well. I don’t understand why this option was immediately taken off the table. It’s the fastest and cheapest way to provide more OLAs.
When my younger child was 2, a large off-leash dog rushed up to him at the Loyal Heights C.C. park and barked in his face. The owner did not apologize. Before that he wasn’t afraid of dogs. Since then he is terrified of dogs. At 4 1/2 it is a terrible problem when we are out and there are off-leash dogs near us. We have tried to desensitize him by introducing him to very calm, small dogs. So far it hasn’t worked.
When my older child was about 3, we were at Soundview park and a dog came bounding across, at high speed, from the opposite end of the field and knocked my child over. At least that dog owner was apologetic.
Please remember that these less than 40 lb. people are defenseless against your dogs. Dogs on leash look just as happy as dogs off leash.
I could not agree more with this post. I just wanted to add that tennis courts (when available) are another great option because they are fenced in. Also, many people in this city rely on public transportation so crossing the city to get to a off leash area is a huge endeavor
Excellent idea thank you. We need more out-of-the-box thinking like this.
UMMM how about no? A tennis court is for tennis, not your dog. If you want your dog to run around more, move away fromm the city. Your attitude is so selfish its disgusting. You should be admonished for writing such an irresponsible article. Go get educated before you embarrass yourself anymore.
Thanks for this article! It captures the feelings of large or active dog owners like me. Mt dog is a really large Newfoundland. We drive every day to Magnuson Park, even when there are closer OLAs to our home, they are way too small for him. Moreover Magnuson Park is the only place where he can legally swim. That is another challenge itself. I’ve seen senior dogs that have to be wheel to the shore in a park that is not accessible at all. I must confess I’ve broken the law in that sense, sometimes I need to do water rescue training with my pup and Magnuson is too crowded for him to focus or not get interrupted. So we have to find alternative swimming spots.
I think that no responsible dog owner will let their reactive pup off leash non in OLA or any other place. Actually we want to keep our dogs non reactive and well socialized. I don’t think we as dog owners like to break the law either. However sometimes you are push to do it.
I think I’ve seen you and your dog there! Thanks for your comments.
Thank you so much for writing this. I personally am unable to take my very active dog to any legal areas to play. The only legal park accessible to me (lower kinnear, pictured here) is not only so small that it’s really hard not to throw the ball out of the fenced area, but it’s also not a safe place for me to go, as a woman, alone with my dog. As with so many others, it never occurred to me before I got my dog that the many spacious parks around me were for leashed dogs only (and not allowed at all in ball parks). I do break leash-laws. My dog is perfectly behaved. She does not EVER approach a leashed dog unless she knows them, and I give her permission. She isn’t interested in approaching people unless they have a dog. She has perfect recall. But my dog is not the point. Some of her best friends who have not yet perfected their recall need a place to play as well. Some of these dogs are rescue, some puppies and some just not trained well enough. As you said, we are breaking the leash laws because Seattle parks and rec have yet to catch up to the overwhelming need. None of us want to be breaking a law, but feel trapped with no other options. Even if you can get to an off leash area, they are usually packed during the hours that most people need to excersize their dog, because there are so few, so neighboring communities use them as well. Thank you for encouraging people to speak up to our needs so that we can find legal, real options that will allow our dog-packed communities to have all of our needs met. Those with dogs, and those who wish to avoid off-leash dogs.
I allow my dog off leash in a small corner of a park surrounded by natural barriers. He is well trained and has great recalls. When we see anyone within 100 yards, I recall him and will leash him if the other dog is leashed. I often leash him when we see other off leash dogs also because I don’t know them. I think there should be room for well trained dogs to have off leash exercise. Mine is only interested in balls and frisbee but others want to play with other dogs. If a dog and their owner are responsible it can work. As a trainer, I see lots of dog owners whose dogs would not be good off leash now but could be helped with socialization and training. LEt’s focus on that.
I appreciate your situation, even though I have an active lab that has zero interest in chasing balls! I participated in the focus groups and comments in the People, Dogs, and Parks project, and was totally frustrated by the draft plan. Then we moved out of Seattle. Still in WA, our city has only one, but a really BIG OLA where your dog could run, no guarantee of proximity to your home. We are invited to use school fields when school is not in session, AND they are fenced! Yes, every dog owner does not scoop; so we pick extra to keep the fields clean. For the cost of a fence and monitoring by dog owners/field users, Seattle could expand OLAs citywide quickly and easily. The field gates don’t even need locks. Ours are always open.
Can you say where live? Sounds like city leaders there need to tell Seattle Parks about how their programs work. Having dog owners police themselves is a great idea.
We live in Federal Way.
Thank you!
No one has mentioned why school and park open spaces have signage indicating no animals. As a parent with athletic children I can attest to the fact that volunteers have had to clear the fields of poop and repair worn areas before track meets and soccer games. You can see the wear and tear of the ground’s surface at any dog park. Schools and parks are not equipped to provide maintenance and repairs let alone clear waste before my child slides across the field. You most likely would not set your child down to play on the ground in the middle of any dog park. How would you react if your child’s soccer field was a dog park at night and early morning and a playing field after school?
I’m sorry irresponsible, lazy dog owners leave poop on your fields. Like all groups of people, there are always some who don’t follow the rules. But responsible dog owners do have the right to have enough OLAs to accommodate Seattle’s growing dog population. The ground is worn down at dog parks because many are too small and overcrowded.
There is a baseball field near my house that is only used during the summer. The rest of the year it is virtually unused. I see no reason why dog owners can’t use it to run their dogs when it isn’t being used. I think if dog owners had access to it they would police themselves about cleaning up poop. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to off-leash parks but the vast majority of people do clean up after their dogs. And if they don’t, they get called out.
If the city allows dog owners to use a ball field and they don’t clean up after themselves, then the city should take away the privilege and reinstate the dog ban for that field.
As a father of two small children and non-dog owner, I support the proposal for more, larger off-leash areas. My oldest daughter has been bitten and is afraid of dogs now. We frequent Magnusun park, which boasts one of the larger OLAs, and every single visit we witness dog owners disobeying leash laws, when they are a five minute walk from the OLA!
I’m so sorry you daughter was bitten. I’ve seen the sam thing around Magnuson.
I got jumped on by a large off-leash dog *again* this week in Woodland Park.
Please keep your dogs on leash!
It is irresponsible to get a large dog when living in the city in the first place. Of course you may be moving to Seattle from a more rural area, and already have a dog coming along with you – in that case, I fell bad for the dog and you. But in other cases, choosing to adopt a large breed on purpose then complaining on the lack of facilities is irresponsible.
I wholeheartedly support you in trying to have the city offer more off-leash parks.
I disagree. There are many ways dogs that need lots of exercise can live in large cities. Just because there aren’t dog parks nearby doesn’t mean you can’t have large dogs in cities. Some things you can do is walk your dogs at least an hour a day, hire dog walkers, start a dog play group, provide mentally stimulating toy,s or take your dog to a day care. Our dogs get plenty of exercise.
And the importance of exercise for dogs isn’t limited to large dogs. Some smaller dogs, especially terriers, also need a significant amounts of daily exercise. And some large breeds like Mastiffs and Great Danes are mainly couch potatoes and don’t need much exercise.
The reason I break Seattle’s off-leash law is simple: The number of adequate off-leash areas has not kept up with the large influx of dog owners into the city.
This is HUGE. Deflective and wrong. I own a dog.
Stop making the rest of us look like such an entitled insolent citizen.
The dog owner is solely responsible to provide adequate space for their dog. Dogs are the ONLY pet that somehow can defecate and urinate on other’s people’s and public land. There are no other pets that we purposefully take outside our homes to soil public property.
Maybe a dog poop tax should be considered as the rest of the city deal with that fallout. I would love to see ALL dog owners have to have an area they rent or buy where their dog defecates and urinates and there are no dogs allowed to do so in public spaces. It is gross.
the only time my dogs have a leash on is when we are in dogs park, my dogs have been attacked by other aggressive dogs in dog parks. my dogs are friendly, well behaved, and have never attacked any dog or human. but are at risk in dog parks
This is such an ignorant and uninformed opinion. This may come as a shock to you, but it isn’t all about you. And it often has nothing to do with how well-behaved *your* dog is. Any off-leash dog can make a leashed dog incredibly agitated and reactive and this is a major problem that leash laws serve to prevent.
Another entitled dog owner, typical. I guess you’ve never been attacked by a dog that the owner swore “never showed signs of aggression before!” I have had traumatic experiences with aggressive unleashed dogs *so* many times in Seattle that I’ve lost count. This post illustrates the root of the problem. Here’s a bright idea, write an article encouraging pet owners to take responsibility for their animals plus support additional laws that require it… oh, but you don’t think you should have to, right.