I like dogs and I vote.
When I was a kid, you opened the door and let the dog out. Nobody locked their doors, even car doors then. Sadly, loose dogs and unlocked doors is not good policy anymore.
I don’t own a dog, but I enjoy encountering dogs on walks. Most dogs are very friendly, so, with owner’s permission, I pet them and talk to them (“Hi dog!”).
There are potential legal liabilities, plus serious environmental and public safety concerns with off-leash dogs. Dogs running off-leash became an issue because bad dog behavior and concomitant rising fear of dogs demanded legal rulings from the petitioning citizenry, in ever increasing numbers. This can be attributed to the owner in some cases, or the dog’s inherent personality. Good owners seem to know this.
Dogs running free on County beaches has become major controversy, in the good old Santa Cruz style, being so political as we are around here. (I enjoy politics, and wish more people were at ease with politics.)
More off-leash accommodation will indeed be found for the estimated 51,000 Santa Cruz County dogs and their loving owners, but it may not be on County beaches, at least not anytime soon. There’s talk of an off-leash permit process, and the County Parks and Recreation Commission recently voted for parks staff to identify possible new off-leash areas within its jurisdiction.
The Sentinel editorial board has evinced support for creating a pilot program at a couple of beaches, saying recently “Doing nothing, which is what essentially is happening, means nothing changes.”
I concur.
Vote Bob for Supe June 3!
Honesty • Integrity • Enthusiasm
