Critics want to put a leash on dog park
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Citing lack of space, offensive odors and the lure of child predators, some Camarillo residents said the park district is barking up the wrong tree if it turns a portion of Community Center Park into a dog park.

Camarillo's only dog park is at the city's eastern end in Camarillo Grove Park. Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District wants to open another site that's more centrally located. The district proposes converting an area of Community Center into a dog-friendly area with a 4-foot perimeter fence, water fountains and cleanup bag stations.

The park district invited residents who live within 1,000 feet of the park to give their comments on the proposal at a January meeting.

Warren Matsui was among several residents who said they don't want the district to level a grassy mound to make way for a dog park.

Matsui, a 34-year resident of the area, said neighborhood children have for years used the knoll to play on and watch events at the park's amphitheater. What's more, he said, dog waste carries diseases particularly hazardous to children and seniors, the two populations who use the park the most.

"To put one 50 feet from your house, it changes the complexity of it. . . . It's not an ideal situation," Matsui said.

Community Center Park at Burnley Street and Carmen Drive is home to the senior center, and the area proposed for the dog park abuts the play yard of El Descanso Elementary School.

Judy Arnold, owner of a dog day care business, said although the city needs another dog park, Community Center Park may not be large enough. The district's plan should also have separate areas for small and large breeds, she said.

"I think you're asking for trouble if you (don't) do it that way," Arnold said. "Big dogs, they need space. If you don't give them enough space, they tend to bump into each other."

Others said they feared a dog park located so close to a school would draw sex offenders and said the proximity of dogs would both alarm students and distract them from their schoolwork.

But proponents such as Laura Losito said such arguments are the product of a not-in-my-backyard attitude. Losito, a member of a loosely organized group that initiated the idea of another dog park, said she has owned aggressive breeds for 15 years. She said opponents don't realize that the animals become socialized at dog parks and that socialized dogs don't chase or bite people.

She also said dog owners tend to bring their animals to the parks after work and on weekends when school is not in session, and they generally clean up after their dogs because they have an interest in seeing the park endure, Losito said.

"I don't think you're going to find any location anywhere . . . that somebody won't complain about," Losito said.

District General Manager Dan LaBrado said the staff will prepare a report for the board that responds to issues raised by residents.

The district will notify those who attended last month's meeting when the issue is to be presented to the board, possibly at the March or April meeting, LaBrado said.

Should the board turn down Community Center Park as a dog park site, the district will consider other parks, he said.