Are Juneau Park Rules just a farce? Do park rules mean anything? Should dogs be allowed to run free to attack anything they want even though trails are clearly posted to keep your dog on a leash? One of today’s leash rule violations put me, an 80 year old visitor to Juneau, on the ground trying to keep two fighting dogs apart. Yes, my dog was leashed. But, can you believe it? A visitor taking a stroll on this beautiful Juneau park trail and ending up knocked to the ground because people don’t leash their dogs. Small thing? Dogs are meant to run free? Juneau Parks are for Juneau Citizens? What? Why? So, I didn’t get hurt too bad but I can tell you, I won’t walk a dog in a Juneau park again. However, I just can’t understand how people can be so trivializing of park rules. It’s rude and dangerous, folks.
Earl Bower
Apple Valley, Minn.
Comments (12)
Add commentEarl
I hear ya! A couple of years ago, my newborn grandson was almost knocked out of his stroller when an unleashed dog ran at us and jumped up on his stroller. The owner huffing and puffing after the dog, clearly not in control of the animal. I'm so sorry that happened to you.
Welcome to Alaska...
Anything goes here - It's all legal if you don't get caught.
Knee jerk responses are common
and, of course, usually wrong. As a parent of three non-traditional children (dogs) I'm bummed out about your experience.
What really disturbs me about your day however, is that this dog owner not only trivialized park rules but trivialized your thoughts on the matter.
Right there it's reasonable to know why that dog didn't have manners; look at the owner who had zero concern for your opinions.
Sad all the way around. You have every right to be upset.
Mike
I rarely see any dog owners
I rarely see any dog owners in control of their animals on leash or off. Get to work picking up their crap too please. Just because no one is watching you doesn't mean you can just leave your mess.
And then there is the politically correct group ~
They wrap up their doggy dew in bright blue plastic bags and then put the doggy dew back. Nice. Not only do we have doggy poo all over, we have non-biodegradable blue plastic bags as well.
Don't get me wrong, I love dogs. More than their owners, usually. A little organic matter on the trails is fertilizer. It washes away pretty fast, especially when it is not in a bright blue plastic bag.
Spoorprint, thank you for pointing that out
I don't understand why people do that. I think in rare cases they may intend to pick it up if the trail is a loop. However, I've seen so many of those plastic bags abandoned that I agree with you, it would be better to stop adding to the problem with plastic.
Is there another explanation besides laziness? Anyone?
Mike
Poop Doesn't Just "Wash Away"
Like human and other animal waste, dog poop may contain hazardous organisms. Was even one person to be daily pooping at a trailhead, I expect that the city would be taking enforcement action against that individual. The fact that some Juneau residents allow their dogs to poop all over without consequence perplexes me. And that the rest of us silently step around and (and in) the poop as if nothing can be done is curious.
Check out http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Public_Works/Divisions/SWM/Se...
Roundworm eggs can survive up to four years in soil - health impacts to humans: VLM (visceral larva migrans) leading to hepatomegaly, myocarditis, nephritis, pulmonary inflammation, and blindness, usually in children.
Cryptosporidium parvum At least 6 months. Susceptible to drying. Self-limiting gastroenteritis, protracted in susceptible individuals. CDC reports 300,000 cases annually, 90% of waterborne origin.
The list goes on, I'll let you check it out yourself.
So, you think, but we have city water and this just runs off to the river and the ocean, and besides, wild animals are pooping out here too.
1) When you return to the trailhead and your dog or kid jumps in the car and puts feet on seat, chances are high that tiny bits of poop transmitted to your car seat. You touch the seat, you eat your food in the car... you too are potentially exposed to diseases carried in the poop. Set your grocery bag on the seat and then on your kitchen counter. So goes the poop.
2) Were these remote and ever so rare instances, our risk of exposure would be relatively low. With dozens of poop piles innocently "washing away" at each trailhead, our exposure is significant.
Clean it up Juneau dog people.
Trails are bad enough...
But letting your dog do its thing on the sidewalk, and then just leaving it there, is really lame and far to prevalent in downtown Juneau, especially along North Franklin.
Dog etiquette 101 for idiots
1. If your dog is not disciplined/trained not to jump on people, keep it on a leash at all times.
2. If your dog IS disciplined, is off the leash and rushes another person, you are supposed to yell, "It's okay! She's friendly! She won't bite!"
3. If your dog poops where someone can see it or step in it DISPOSE OF IT! If you are on a trail, knock it off the trail with a stick. Put a rock over it, or better yet, pick it up! As previous posters alluded to above, DON'T PUT IT IN A PLASTIC BAG AND LEAVE IT!
4. If your dog is aggressive in any way, it should not be around people. If you must walk it, it should have a muzzle.
5. Small dogs are intimidated by big dogs. If you have a big dog, be mindful of this.
6. My dog is my kid. If you sneer at him because you don't like dogs, you might get a nasty comment from me as if you were sneering at my kid.
7. If my dog is barking at your dog from across the way, he just wants to sniff and say hello. Let them say hello to one another, unless your dog is an ass.
It amazes me how many dog owners out there have no common sense or sense of decency when it comes to dog etiquette. They are the minority, but they ruin it for the rest of us.
For some people, your dog is scary!
It amazes me that people think they can just let their dogs off their leashes to run free on trails that have posted rules against it. I have arthritis and limited mobility but still like to get out and about on the trails. Many times I have had a dog jump up on me, soiling my clothes or even knocking me over. Once at Savikko Park, a dog who was playing with another dog, ran into my knee from the side and I fell down. The event seriously injured my knee, caused me to need physical therapy, and left me in pain for over 6 months. Now my enjoyment out on the trails is seriously diminished because not only does my knee still hurt, but every time I see a dog off their leash (whether the owner is in voice control or not) I'm terrified of getting knocked over again.
agreed, clayhead.
Jo - I'm in agreement with all your rules, except #2. I own a dog, but she is pretty small because I was once attacked by an Irish Wolfound, sustained a serious injury and am now terrified of big dogs "rushing at me". So I don't care if "she's friendly, she won't bite". I prefer her (him) to NOT rush at me. I'm getting old, I don't need a heart attack!
It's NOT my dog!
I'm frustrated by this dog. It has no owner. The one that jumps up on me or leaves it's dew for me to step in. It's never YOUR dog....YOUR dog has a responsible owner. And YOUR dog has manners, is under voice control and free to run off leash. That darn ownerless dog killed a deer in my yard a couple summers ago. Animal control had to call fish n game...they took the deer but no penalty for the owner of the dog under voice control. I know...that unruly dog isn't YOUR dog is it?