Temporary Dog Park OPEN!

As newfs noted in the comments for the last post, the Southeast Area Park off-leash area is OPEN for business!

We just got back from a short visit and there were already three other dogs using the park. It is a pretty simple facility, but very fun. The off-leash area is about an acre of grass with trees and bushes fenced off with chain link. There is a secure double-entry to keep your canine pals from running off and a clean-up bag box in case you forget to bring your own bags.

Charlie and Sadie's review is two paws up. All the trees and bushes provided ample opportunities for Charlie (hound mix) to sniff, explore, and mark, and the length of the area is more then enough for Sadie (pharaoh hound mix) to run at full speed. Even with a Chuck-It I could barely throw a ball the entire length of the park. They are looking forward to playing with other dogs as more and more people start coming.

So if you haven't done so yet, go get a permit and start enjoying legal off-leash play in Ann Arbor. And please follow the posted rules and etiquette, it is important for this to get off to a good start so the city realizes how much dog parks have to offer our community.

Permits Available

The City of Ann Arbor is now selling permits for the dog parks!

Details here

and here (PDF)

Just take your vaccine, registration and spay/neuter records to the City Clerk.

Not sure yet if this means Southeast Area Park is open, but I'll find out soon and get back to you.

Dog Park News Roundup

I've missed a lot of news in the past couple of weeks. Here's a quick digest of all the major dog park goings on.

- On Aug 22, the Ann Arbor News ran an article about the current dog park situation. They are projecting the temporary site at Southeast Area Park to be open in the third week of September. Construction is already complete. It would always be nice to see things happen sooner, but it looks like we are very close to the first opening of a legal off-leash area in Ann Arbor! Check the article for other details and timelines on the other projects.

- A few days later Christina, who many of us know well, wrote a letter to the editor in response to that article asking why we can't start using the off-leash area since the fence is up.

- At this week's City Council meeting (Tuesday because of the holiday), Council will be voting on a contract to begin construction at the large Swift Run site. There are some details in the memo attached to the resolution (PDF), the most interesting of which is that the projected completion date is November of this year. (Let's Hope!) -

- Finally, the city and Canine Social Club are holding an open dog swim at Buhr Pool on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons (PDF flyer). Take your friends, pay a small fee, and enjoy dog day. We have been to similar events in other cities and they are LOTS of fun whether your dog swims or not. I'm very sorry that I won't be able to go this year.

CSC Volunteer Meeting for the NEW DOG PARK

Late Edit: I forgot to list the location of the meeting. It will be at the Pavillion at Southeast Area Park - Southwest corner of Platt and Ellsworth. Thanks to kayla&mom for pointing out my omission.

I got an e-mail from the Canine Social Club this week inviting interested people to a meeting on Aug 23 to discuss volunteer monitors for Southeast Area and Olson Park dog runs when the open. I think the plan is to have people posted during busy times to help people figure out the rules and etiquette and to watch for potential problems. It will probably involve telling people where they can buy a permit and making sure that people pick up after their dogs.

Here is the full text of the e-mail:

www.CANINESOCIALCLUB.NET (See photos of Southeast Park -Temporary Swift Run Site)

Yes, it’s really happening! Dog parks are opening in Ann Arbor!!

As Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County open their first off-leash dog parks, the Canine Social Club has been asked to help ensure that the parks are successful. Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation officials are calling a meeting to coordinate volunteers to help monitor usage of the both the Southeast and Olsen dog parks during their initial phases. The meeting will be held Thursday August 23^rd, 5:30 – 6:30.

What does monitoring mean? Really, it just means doing what we already do when we get our dogs together to play. We make sure poop gets scooped, and encourage owners to keep their dogs under reasonable control (curb aggressive behavior, etc.) Monitors will be needed during peak hours: before/after work and on weekends. The specifics of monitoring schedules and responsibilities will be discussed during the meeting.

If you are able to help, please reply to this email and attend the meeting on Thursday. Even if you’re not sure if you’ll be available, please attend the meeting to learn more about the parks, and what everyone can do to make them successful.

Thank you,

Canine Social Club

If you can make it, please do. Hopefully hall monitors won't be necessary once things get rolling, but we all have a stake in ensuring that the first off-leash areas in Ann Arbor open with minimal problems.

Light Posting

First let me apologize for my light and sporadic posting over the past month. I've been preparing for a new job so my attention is focused elsewhere.

That new job begins this week and I will probably be overwhelmed for the first couple of weeks. So unfortunately my posting schedule will probably be even more sporadic until I get in a groove. I'll try to keep on top of major developments, but I can't promise any consistency and I definitely won't be able to make most of the City Council or PAC meetings for a while.

Sorry about this, hopefully it won't be as overwhelming as I'm imagining right now. But I want to let you all know why I'm dropping off the radar for a while.

Fee Structure

At last week's City Council meeting plans for four new off-leash areas were unanimously approved. The memo attached (PDF) to that resolution lays out the detailed plan including suggested fee structure.

The fee structure is on page 2 of the PDF. The rates are variable depending on two major factors 1) Swift Run only or all A2 off-leash areas; 2) Spayed/Neutered or intact.

For Swift Run only the rates are: $50 intact or $35 spayed/neutered
For all off-leash areas: $60 intact or $45 spayed/neutered

Those are rates for a single dog. Additional dogs will be charged as follows:

Swift Run only: $25/$15
All areas: $10/$5

So for example I have two fixed dogs and will be buying a permit for all city areas. That will be $45 for the first plus $5 for the second bringing my total to $50 annually.

As I understand it, the permitting will be handled through the city clerk's office and will require proof of vaccination, proper registration, and a signed agreement to follow off-leash area rules. A tag will be issued to each dog to serve as its permit and should be worn whenever in an off-leash area.


This is an interesting fee structure. It is about in the middle of what we have paid elsewhere to use public off-leash areas, those ranging from free to a little over $100 for two dogs. As I've said before, I'm in favor of a nominal fee to manage vaccination and safety concerns as long as dog owners are not being asked to pay all of the support costs in addition to the property taxes we already pay; dog runs should be managed just like other facilities. I would of course like to see these fees a little bit lower, but I think they are reasonable and from my discussions with Parks staff I don't believe that we are being asked to provide the bulk of operating costs.

The structuring of these fees around whether a dog is fixed or not is an interesting thing that I haven't seen elsewhere. I originally thought that it was a response to liability concerns - some parks do not allow unfixed males or females in heat inside at all. But what I have been told is that this is a response to requests by the Humane Society to encourage people to spay or neuter their dogs.

I know that will frustrate some people and I'm not honestly sure how effective it will be. Will someone who is not inclined to fix their dog decide to do so to save $15? I honestly can't say. At the risk of alienating some people though, I'll say that I think it's a good intent and fairly progressive for a city to encourage people to help reduce the stray population by giving a break to animals that have been spayed or neutered.

Whatever your position on that issue, it looks like this will be our fee structure for the first year of decriminalized off-leash play. The fee structure will be up for review annually and Parks staff have told me that they view this as very flexible in the coming years. Once this is in the works, you should feel free to offer constructive criticism. It sounds like the city will be quite receptive to suggestions.


NB - there is language in the memo I linked to above that suggests that hardship scholarships will be available for people who want to buy permits but cannot afford them. I don't know any details about that, but apparently they will be available.

Signs of Progress

I drove by Southeast Area Park while I was running errands today and I was pleasantly surprised to see that work has already begun on the temporary dog run. A (rather tall) chain link fence has been put up with a double gate entrance. It looks like most of the fence is up, but it isn't quite finished.

I assume there are other things that have to happen before it is opened - signage, trash cans, and permitting - and I have no idea how long that will take, but this is a very encouraging sign. Now that Parks staff have a green light to finish, it looks like it's actually going to happen.