Ithaca Dog Park

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[edit] Introduction

For 30 years there has been an unofficial dog park in Ithaca, New York. People have been bringing their dogs to get exercise off leash. It has been a place for dogs who need space to roam or who need to blow off steam. The TCDOG (Tompkins County Dog Owners Group) has been advocating and supporting the park all along. The Ithaca Dog Park is located near the Allan H. Treeman Marina. Part of the unofficial park is on state park land, and some is on city land. The beach (on state land) is used by the dogs for swimming. It is also notable that many other cities have legal off-leash areas, see More Info for a link to listings of those parks.

People have been bringing their dogs to get exercise off leash there for quite a while, even before off leash was legal. The Park land was created when dredging spoils were dumped there in the 1960s and now is used by birdwatchers, joggers, skiers, picnickers and strollers of all ages. It also has a relatively undeveloped shoreline. Dogs and owners have enjoyed this space and water.

Dogs need space to roam and run and dog owners to socialize in this part of the lake front. The City of Ithaca and the New York State Parks Commission, along with the Town of Ithaca, and Tompkins County Board, and park user groups are in the process of planning a fenced in, off-leash area for a dog park at the Marina. At this time[when?] there is a temporary fenced-in area where Ithacans and others can come and bring their dogs to exercise. Dogs outside the fenced area are required to be leashed.

The Dog Park is located on the Festival Lands adjacent to the Allan H. Treman State Marina Park at the head of Cayuga Lake. It is also notable that many other cities have legal off-leash areas, fenced and not fenced.[citation needed] Below are links to dog parks and some information on the City of Ithaca's actions in creating the temporary fenced in dog park.

[edit] The Temporary Park

On Wednesday 12/5/07 the Common Council unanimously voted in the extension to the leash law exemption. This would extend the temporary legal dog park until April 3rd within a fenced in area of the City's Festival Lands.

[edit] The Terms of the extension

  • Making it legal to have dogs off leash within a designated fenced area of the Festival Lands until April 3rd 2008.
  • Constructing a $6,000 temporary fence around the festival lands. Much of the opposition to the park should be solved by building this fence, although others have said that it is pointless to erect a fence to keep the dogs away from people when the city has acknowledged that dog walkers are the only ones to use the park in the winter.

[edit] The Fence

On Saturday, December 15th TCDOG members volunteered to pound in fence posts for a 4 foot tall fence that will surround the new temporary park. The city has alloted $6,000 to construct a temporary fence. The extension is now valid because the fence was completed in early January 2008.

[edit] Vote Change Explanations

Why they changed their votes:

Common Council Member Reason they changed their vote
Tomlan $6,000 included for fence
Maria Coles Maria Coles said that she changed her vote in the spirit of Hanukkah, compromising for the public good. She also mentioned that she hopes they will be able to find a permanent dog park resolution.
Gelinas Gelinas believed that there were too many emotions surrounding this issue, and that it would be extremely difficult to find a permanent solution if this temporary extension were not to pass.

[edit] External links


[edit] News Articles

[edit] Citations

These news articles were used as citations for this article.

[edit] Other Articles

Coordinates: 42°27′26.75″N 76°31′02.07″W / 42.4574306, -76.5172417