City mulls limits at dog park

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- City officials are wondering if there’s too many dogs

and too few people at the dog park.

On Monday, the City Council will consider setting a limit of four dogs

per person at the city’s Bark Park, a proposal aimed at maintaining the

improvements made at the park.

Donna Theriault of the Public Services Department said the reason for

the limitation was to ensure dogs at the park have proper supervision. If

the ratio of dogs to people is unbalanced, dogs have more of a tendency

to dig up the grass, run wild or become aggressive with other dogs, she

said.

“What we are looking to do is to make the improvements last as long as

they can and be there for everyone’s enjoyment,” Theriault said.

The park was closed in the summer of 2000 to allow the city to add

parking and walkways to improve access for individuals with disabilities

and to give the Costa Mesa Bark Park Foundation a chance to grow grass.

Bark Park reopened in December with a new irrigation system and

landscaping.

Since its reopening, the city has received complaints of dog walking

services bringing groups as large as 20 to the park at once, Theriault

said. Responding to the public’s concerns, city staff members proposed a

four dog limit.

“How can you pick up after and prevent dogs from digging if you have

20 at a time?” Theriault asked.

Theriault said the city is not targeting dog-sitting businesses. They

can still come to the park, she said, but they may have to make a few

more trips.

Although the city may not purposely target dog-sitting businesses, the

change will affect them, said Adriana Vaisch, owner of Waggly Tails

dog-sitting service.

Vaisch uses Bark Park and agrees the small park is easily crowded.

Her business will not be directly affected because she provides

individualized dog care, she said. Vaisch rarely has more than four dogs

at a time anyway, she said. But she feels for her colleagues who provide

dog-sitting services who cannot afford such a small human-to-dog ratio.

“I can understand not wanting 20, but four seems too small,” she said.

“But then it turns into an argument of where you draw the line. I guess

the city thinks four is enough.”

Costa Mesa decided on a four-dog limit because it falls in line with

the city’s existing four-animal limitation per household, Theriault said.

Irvine and Huntington Beach each employ a limit of three dogs per person,

a staff report shows. The Huntington Beach City Council voted to impose

the limit two weeks ago.

Responsibility of maintaining the park is divided between the city and

the Bark Park Volunteer Foundation.

Costa Mesa Maintenance Service Manager Bruce Hartley said the

limitation has less to do with the ratio of dogs to humans and more with

the sheer numbers of park patrons. Bark Park incurs much more damage than

other city parks, he said.

Hartley likened it to maintaining sports fields that are constantly

dug up by cleated shoes. But the dogs have four sets of cleats instead of

two, he said.

“I like the challenge of trying to grow grass underneath them, but

it’s not an easy job,” Hartley said.

Councilman Gary Monahan said he considers the amendment a well thought

out compromise. The recreation department did a good job crafting a

reasonable limit, he said.

“The park is there obviously for dogs but not necessarilyfor the

benefit of dog sitters,” Monahan said about the alleged proliferation of

dog-walking businesses taking over the park.

-- Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .