{"id":1517,"date":"2017-03-16T22:34:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T22:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/fido-ll-love-it-and-so-will-his-peeps-community-meeting-planned-for-dog-park-in-bixby-park\/"},"modified":"2017-03-16T22:34:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T22:34:00","slug":"fido-ll-love-it-and-so-will-his-peeps-community-meeting-planned-for-dog-park-in-bixby-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/pets\/fido-ll-love-it-and-so-will-his-peeps-community-meeting-planned-for-dog-park-in-bixby-park","title":{"rendered":"Fido\u2019ll Love It, and So Will His Peeps: Community Meeting Planned for Dog Park in Bixby Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Bixby<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mahatma Gandhi famously probably didn\u2019t say that \u201cthe greatness of a nation and its\u00a0moral\u00a0progress can be judged by the way its animals are\u00a0treated,\u201d according to at least one scholarly source<\/a>. Whatever the case, it\u2019s a noble thought and serves as a guidepost that Second District Councilmember Jeannine Pearce<\/a>\u00a0apparently agrees with. Pearce ran for her council position on a platform of issues that affect residents, the economy and the environment<\/a>, and before her election in June 2016, she worked in a professional and volunteer capacity as an advocate for marginalized people. This included a term on the Long Beach Human Relations Committee.<\/p>\n

One of Pearce\u2019s latest projects is the planning and installation of a dog park in an underutilized area of Bixby Park. She and her staff have been canvassing residents in her district, particularly in the populous and packed Alamitos Beach neighborhood, to invite them to a community meeting to give their input on the exact location of the park and how it should be equipped. The meeting will take place Saturday, March 18, from noon to 1:30PM at the Bixby Park Community Center<\/a>, located at 130 Cherry Avenue in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had people saying on social media, where can I take my dog?\u201d Pearce said. \u201cWe have a lot of renters and a large number of apartments, so people don\u2019t have a space for their pets to be happy. You go outside and see dogs at yoga, dogs at the caf\u00e9\u2014especially in my district, which is very walkable\u2014but we don\u2019t have a dog park that\u2019s really accessible to the residents in Alamitos Beach. The closest ones are downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dogs<\/p>\n

“I think it’ll be wonderful!” exclaimed Second District resident Jill Morgan, who was walking her dogs Nala and Fred on Junipero Avenue next to Bixby Park. “Just stand here for 15 minutes and you’ll see plenty of people walking dogs.” Photo by Kate Karp.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Long Beach has 10 dedicated dog parks<\/a>, including Rosie\u2019s Dog Beach<\/a>, in which supervised dogs can run off leash, chase balls around, socialize, and bark \u201cSquirrel! Squirrel! Squirrel!\u201d An organized weekly 30-minute beach cleanup<\/a>\u00a0run by Haute Dogs helps to keep the area clean and safe for both dogs and humans.<\/p>\n

The first of the parks, Recreation Dog Park<\/a>, was established in 1996 in Recreation Park in East Long Beach. The newest is the Seaside Way Dog Zone<\/a>, which opened in 2015 and is located near the Arts District and the Convention Center. There are a few dog parks in North Long Beach and one in El Dorado Park, which was spearheaded by a dedicated bunch of volunteers, the Friends of El Dorado Dog Park.<\/a> Each park is maintained slightly differently, some through volunteers and others through neighborhood associations.<\/p>\n

The City had allowed Pearce a corner of Parcel 1, which borders Broadway and is situated between Junipero and Cherry avenues. This parcel, Pearce said, is one of the least utilized areas of the park and would have great visibility from the caf\u00e9s and businesses on the Broadway corridor and from the rest of the park. It won\u2019t go up against any residential buildings and will put an underused portion of the park into use, keeping other areas open for people to engage in sports and picnic.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got kids playing, you\u2019ve got youth, plays are going on there\u2014it\u2019s a perfect location for a dog park,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that it\u2019s going to change the way people use that park, and that parcel in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n

But a corner isn\u2019t big enough for either what Pearce envisions or the dogs themselves\u2014it\u2019s half or nothing, and she found a solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re going to invest taxpayer dollars in a dog park, we\u2019re going to go big or go home,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cSo, I reached out to [District 3 Councilmember] Suzie Price, whose district borders the other side. She said she\u2019d always wanted a dog park, so she\u2019s going to match funds so that the dog park can be done in a big enough way. It makes sense because she has enough constituents who\u2019d use the park. If we can use half the parcel instead of a small corner, we could have a park with a good-size space for small dogs, a good-size space for large dogs, and a way to match with theme\u2014green fencing to match the light poles instead of the blue ones, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lampposts<\/p>\n

One of Councilmember Pearce’s aims is to blend the dog park with Bixby Park’s historic theme and color tone. Photo by Kate Karp.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pearce said that she\u2019ll poll the attendees of the community meeting to determine which half of the parcel to use. She wants to ensure that no opportunities are taken from other park users and also wants to maintain the park\u2019s historical context\u2014the circle of benches, the historic lampposts that the Friends of Bixby Park installed, and the leaf-green tone that complements the surroundings.<\/p>\n

\"Bixby<\/p>\n

The dedicated half of Parcel 1, which faces busy Broadway, will be determined through resident input. Graphic courtesy of Melendrez Firm.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve used Bixby Park ever since I\u2019ve been a resident of Long Beach,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m very familiar with all of it. I really enjoyed going through the visioning that was done by my predecessor years ago. The Friends of Bixby Park has also put in a lot of vision and commitment into that area, and so in conversations and meeting with them, we discussed how we\u2019d activate the park in a new way. And we\u2019ll make sure that we\u2019re abiding by the dog park rules<\/a>\u00a0and make sure that it\u2019s clean and safe for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gayle Carter, who is the president of the Friends of the Uptown Dog Park Volunteers<\/a>\u00a0and who liaisons for the needs of Coolidge, Scherer and Jackson parks in North Long Beach, understands the importance of posting the dog park regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis establishes that the rules are City oriented and not arbitrary,\u201d Carter said. \u201cAnd City rules posted on the signs have split responsibility. There are those things mandated by law\u2014licensing, aggressive dogs, and so on are the responsibility of the ACS (Long Beach Animal Care Services<\/a>)\u00a0and the Long Beach police. Other things, like common-sense issues\u2014eating in the dog park, kids running in the dog park\u2014are self-regulated within the park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Carter and Mary\u00a0Matthiensen, President of Friends of El Dorado Dog Park, stress the importance of calling for and coordinating volunteers to maintain parks, and Pearce agrees. She hopes to confirm volunteer assistance at the meeting from the Alamitos Beach Neighborhood Association<\/a>, Friends of Bixby Park\u00a0<\/a>and anyone else who wants to give back. She also relies on her staff, particularly her field deputy, Milton Duena, who stops by Bixby Park every morning and evening and reports any needs back to the office.<\/p>\n

But Pearce\u2019s vision for the dog park extends beyond fencing, spaces for large and small dogs, double doors, design, and dogs frolicking off leash. She also wants to create a place that helps to further animal welfare in general and for pet owners to become informed about pet care so that the pets will lead a healthy life and won\u2019t wind up in the shelter themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a place in the Second District that\u2019s an education center as well,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cI visited the shelter to see how we can use the area to the best benefit of the animals in our city. We have enough people in the community that care deeply about animals, so if they have a monthly adoption where the shelter brings out its new van and does an adoption there, great. We could have a Pet Day and have Animal Care Services and the Health Department to talk to people. We also want to do spay-and-neuter events at the park. And if we can have information for people\u2014you responsibly own a pet, get it shots\u2014we can decrease our euthanasia rate and increase our adoption rate. If we can get to a place where we can get a strong foster program through our city side, I think that places like this will help us get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MObile<\/p>\n

ACS’s new mobile adoption van makes it considerably easier to transport cats and dogs to adoption events and show them. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Animal Care Services.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pearce said that she\u2019s researching options to put in a doggie caf\u00e9 as well. Why should Hot Java have all the fun?<\/p>\n

The first steps in creating the park, Pearce said, involve forming an infrastructure and building partnerships, and finally activating the park. Input from community meeting will help with the details and needs.<\/p>\n

Response on social media has been overwhelmingly positive. Suggestions and wish list items are appearing on the event\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>, and over 30 respondents on NextDoor gave the proposed dog park wholehearted support, with a few concerns regarding parking and hopes that the presence of the dogs will drive crime elsewhere. Parking, said Pearce, should be no problem since most of the people utilizing the park will walk there and that there is an upcoming mobility study that will address parking. As for crime, Pearce says that it may indeed push it elsewhere, which isn\u2019t a solution. However, the more people using the park responsibly, the more engagement there could be with other residents using the park.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing we can do is show ownership and pride,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m excited that we\u2019re also going to have people learning how to responsibly own pets. This will be an opportunity to build a healthy Long Beach for human residents and also for our four-legged friends.<\/p>\n

Tails up, Fido, and ready to wag!<\/p>\n

All interested people, including children, are invited to attend Councilmember Pearce\u2019s community meeting and give their input on creating the dog park. The event takes place this Saturday, March 18, from noon to 1:30 at the Bixby Park Community Center, 130 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.\u201d<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0~ Whoever said it got it right\u2014in this microcosmic sense at least<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce and her staff have been canvassing residents in her district, particularly in the populous and packed Alamitos Beach neighborhood, to invite them to a community meeting to give their input on the exact location of the park and how it should be equipped. The meeting will take place this Saturday at noon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":66920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","pmpro_default_level":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","footnotes":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false},"categories":[22],"tags":[39],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1517"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1517"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=1517"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}