Off-leash dog parks SLC

Mayoral and City Council Candidates to Discuss Off-Leash Areas with Public This Thursday!

This Thursday there is an opportunity for your questions and concerns to be heard by those running for SLC Mayor and City Council!  Please come!  We hope to have the media there, and we want to have a packed room in order to show the amount of support there is for more off-leash spaces!  As of now, the candidates who have responded that they will be in attendance are:

Jackie Biskupski

Andrew Johnston

Derek Kitchen 

Nate Salazaar

Charlie Luke

Tracey Harty

The forum will be held at the Sprague Library in Sugarhouse from 6:30-8:30, this Thursday Sep 17th.

Spread the word and bring your questions and comments to discuss with the candidates!  Even if you don't live in SLC proper, your attendance is still desired.  It is important to show that there is a need for more off-leash spaces county wide, so please, if this is an important issue to you, plan to attend!

As of now, Ralph Becker and some of the other Council candidates have not responded....perhaps a little friendly reminder would encourage their attendance.  ;)  Feel free to drop them an email and ask if they will be there!

Important Meeting 8/13

Are you as frustrated as I am?

Hey Everyone!

So, the proposal for more off-leash dog space is completely on hold due to the enormous amount of opposition received about it. I, for one, am very frustrated by this, but am more determined than ever to get my voice heard and my cause recognized!  If this is important to you, too, and you are willing to do a little work to get it, please get on board by taking some action!

Here are some things you can do:

1.  Join the "Official Millcreek FIDOS Facebook Group"  The group posts lots of great information about upcoming events with our local leaders, networking opportunities and things we can do to move our cause forward.  PLEASE take a second to join and follow this page!

2.  Elections are just around the corner for our local mayors!  Get informed about who is a dog advocate and who isn't.  Come to meetings where you can get to know the candidates and find out where they stand.  Some of them are most definitely going to be dog advocates, and some are most definitely not!  FIDOS also posts information on the meetings and even hosts some so you can meet the candidates.

3.  Contact your representatives!  I can't emphasize that enough.  The off-leash parks proposal got shot down because they had more people writing in against it than for it, so make your voice heard!

Again, here are the emails of the SL County Council.  Send emails to all of them and let them know how disappointed you are that the proposal is no longer on the table and that you support more off-leash space!  It doesn't need to be long and lengthy; even a quick email will do!

Send messages of support right away to all of these County Council members and ask your friends to do the same:

Richard Snelgrove – rsnelgrove@slco.org
Arlyn Bradshaw – arbradshaw@slco.org
Sam Granato – sgranato@slco.org
Jenny Wilson – jwilson@slco.org
Jim Bradley – jbradley@slco.org
Aimee Winder Newton – anewton@slco.org
Max Burdick – mburdick@slco.org
Steve DeBry – sdebry@slco.org
Jenny Wilson – jwilson@slco.org
Michael Jensen – mjensen@slco.org

4.  Be a responsible dog owner!  People complain because they see dog poop in the parks, or they've had a bad experience with an aggressive dog off-leash, or they've seen dogs disturb the wildlife in the parks.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be responsible and expect the same from other dog owners.  If your dog is being naughty, put his leash on, even if you are in an off-leash area.  Take extra poop bags for those who may have run out.  Pick up extra poop now and then.  Don't let aggressive dogs run loose anywhere...get them trained!  I have a fantastic trainer who can help with any dog, if you need one!  We HAVE to be conscious if we are going to win more space for our canine friends.  

Send this email on to anyone else you know who has dogs or who cares about helping them, and if you have any other ideas, please share!  

Thanks so much!

Linda

Opposition to dog parks abounds

The County Council meeting on the 14th was a bit of a disappointment.  The dog park issue was not on the agenda.  Apparently, they have decided to put it off for a while being that they have had so much opposition to the proposed parks.  So, we need to step it up in order to show the Council that there is just as much, if not more, support in favor of off-leash parks!

There are 1,327 signatures on this petition.  If everyone took 5 minutes to write to their County Council Representative or to all of them that would be a huge step in the right direction!  

Send messages of support right away to all of these County Council members and ask your friends to do the same.  We don't want this issue to lose momentum.

Richard Snelgrove – rsnelgrove@slco.org
Arlyn Bradshaw – arbradshaw@slco.org
Sam Granato – sgranato@slco.org
Jenny Wilson – jwilson@slco.org
Jim Bradley – jbradley@slco.org
Aimee Winder Newton – anewton@slco.org
Max Burdick – mburdick@slco.org
Steve DeBry – sdebry@slco.org
Jenny Wilson – jwilson@slco.org
Michael Jensen – mjensen@slco.org

Another group that is working hard on this issue is FIDOS.  Join their FB page to get the latest updates and join discussion groups at "Official Millcreek FIDOS Facebook Group".  Let's stay connected and try to come up with more ideas to keep the ball rolling!

County Council Meeting July 14th

Hi All!

Just a reminder that the County Council is meeting this Tuesday, July 14th at 4:00pm to discuss the off-leash dog proposal. If you can attend the meeting and show your support, please do! There will be an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting for the public to express their opinions. I already know there is a lot of opposition to the proposal, so we need lots of people there who are in favor of it! The meeting is at the North Building on 2100 S State St. It is held on the main floor. Hope to see you there!

Linda

Urgent Action Needed for Off-leash Dog Park Proposal!

Hi All!

Our cause has been in the news a lot lately due to the fact that the County is working with SL Parks and Rec on a pilot program that would create more off-leash areas in the valley!

Here are some links to what is being said in the news:

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/debate-continues-over-possible-six-off-leash-dog-p/42071/i_kMGs8FjkqKVuUX3vi_gw

http://www.sltrib.com/home/2644177-155/people-barking-over-salt-lake-county

http://fox13now.com/2015/07/01/salt-lake-county-considering-6-locations-for-one-year-trial-as-off-leash-dog-parks/

The County is currently investigating 6 parks that have been proposed for the pilot program.  As you can see from the news articles, there is already opposition from the neighbors.  Some of these parks may not be the best choice for the program, but we need to voice our support to the County to continue making strides towards solutions that work for everyone!

You can get the full proposal here:

http://slco.org/recreation/parks/pdf/proposedOffLeashDogP.pdf

Take a look at it as it contains all of the parks that are proposed.  The Council will meet again at the Council meeting on July 14th to discuss their findings and vote on moving forward.  

So, what you can do before the 14th is 

1.  Write to the county council and tell them you support the pilot program.  You can contact them through the website at http://slco.org/council/

2.  Encourage your friends and family who are dog lovers to do the same.

3.  Plan to come to the Council meeting on July 14th at 4:00pm and voice your opinion.  The Council meets in the North Building on 2100 S and State Street.  

4.  If you are available and willing to do more, please email or call me asap!  I would like get signatures from dog owners and neighbors that utilize the proposed parks who are in favor of the off-leash proposal.  My goal is to take these signatures to the meeting on the 14th to present to the Council.  If you can help by spending an hour or two talking to dog people at the parks and getting their signatures, call me at 385-202-3648 or email me at lucyinhawaii@gmail.com.

Thanks so much!

Linda Gregersen

Reminder: County Council Meeting Tuesday June 16th!

Hi All,

Sorry for the last minute reminder, but I was waiting to get details from a member of the Salt Lake County Council about the meetings in the morning to discuss off-leash dog areas.  This is the word concerning the proposal from Salt Lake County Parks and Rec: 

"It is on the agenda for the earlier, Committee of the Whole (COW), meeting....That meeting begins at 10:30. There will be no vote this week, which is why it is not on the 4:00 Council meeting agenda. Citizen comments are invited at the beginning of both the COW and the Council meetings. I have suggested to some that they comment at the 4:00 meeting, after the Council has been briefed on the proposal. But you are welcome to attend and comment at either (or both) meetings."- Bart BarkerSenior Policy Advisor to Richard SnelgroveSalt Lake County Council Chair

My intention is to attend the 4:00 meeting and bring a copy of this petition to present to the Council.  If I can arrange to attend the 10:30 meeting, I will be at that one also, but more than likely, it will be the 4:00 meeting.  If any of you can make it to either of the meetings to express your views, please do so.  Otherwise, you can also write to the Council directly.  Many of them are already in favor of expanding off-leash dog areas, and the more support they get from the community, the better!  You can contact them through the website at http://slco.org/council/.

Thanks for your support!  If you are able to attend tomorrow, please come introduce yourself.  I'll be the one presenting the petition!  

Sincerely,

Linda Gregersen