BIG REC DOG ASSOCIATION

A casual pack of dogs, that have happily played in the area above the Big Rec ball fields in Golden Gate Park for longer than any of us can remember, formed to protect our special off-leash space from unilateral reclassification by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.

It's hard work- - HARD WORK - -getting our guardians out the door to take us to the Park. As urban dogs, we gladly accept the responsibility of seeing our two footed friends get out in the morning for a little fresh air and excerise. Then in the evening we do all we can to get them to put down their work and get out in the Park to reconnect with the natural world and to meet with other two footers to build the community and friendships that they so need. Some of us with older guardians have to go through this during the middle of the day as well. Many spend 2 hours a day, seven days a week, seeing that the tall ones get up from their glowing boxes and do a reality check.

It's hard work too. Recently a few dog guardian haters have put signs up in our favorate space telling us that we must drag our owners on leash now, that we can't let them off-leash to to talk and swap stories with others of their own kind. We don't need this aggravation. It's hard enough getting them out the door and now we have to run around in circles tying our leashes together to even get two of them side by side. It seems that the Recreation and Parks Department have decided that neighborhood communities have no value. We've actually heard that RPD is negotiating with a minor league baseball team to hand over control of the area to be fenced with ticket booths for access.

We at Big Rec Dog will do everything in our power to keep Big Rec the open public space it has been for over 100 years, where active and passive users have gathered in harmony to run, play, talk, or just lay down in the grass; building the community that make urban life livable.

8/8/05 Comments to the Dog Advisory Committee on the occasion of their consideration
of our application for Dog Play Area Status. (29 meg. pdf file)

BigRecDog will hold informal trash pickup "parties" Sunday evenings (4:30 to 5:30pm) to help keep our park clean and to lighten the load for our beleaguered Park's staff. Of course our membership are always encouraged to carry extra bags to pick up after our less considerate brothers and sisters.

Think your dog's special.

Meet Jim the Wonder Dog:

A visual review of Dogs, Parks and DPA conducted 8/5/05