They Want Park to Go to the Dogs

Sabrina Hall travels 25 miles from her Fullerton home to Costa Mesa once a week so she can let her dog Duke run free in that city’s dog park. She would rather take the cocker spaniel someplace closer, but in Fullerton it is illegal to let dogs roam free, and violators are cited and fined.

So Hall and a group of other dog owners have launched a campaign to open a “bark park.”

“We want a place to bring our dogs,” Hall said Monday. “Dogs love to run and play.”

Hall is proposing that the city designate half of White Park, or 2.5 acres, as a place where dogs can chase balls, catch flying disks and socialize with each other.

The Community Services Commission has agreed to hear public comment on the matter Monday, then forward the results to the Planning Commission. The second panel would also hold a hearing, then make a recommendation to the City Council.

Hall said she has spent the last year trying to find a place where unleashed dogs would be welcome. At some of the park sites she checked out, neighbors protested. But no one so far has opposed converting part of White Park into a dog playground.

The park--a strip of grass along Parks Road between Parks Junior High School and Bastanchury Road--has several jacaranda and eucalyptus trees, and a bridle trail.

Under the proposal, Hall would call on volunteers to raise money for a fence around the perimeter of the park, away from the bridle trail, and posts where bags and scoops would be available for cleaning up after pets.

“It’s not going to cost the city anything,” Hall said.

Hugh Triffet, a dog owner who supports the proposal, said, “Nobody uses White Park anymore. There are so many people who can’t wait to have and use a dog park in Fullerton. Every city should have one. . . . Dogs deserve a place to get together and have a ball.”