B10 The BulleTin • Friday, FeBruary 19, 2021
Outdoor adventures with your dog
BY JULIE BROWN
For The Bulletin
A near slam-dunk way to
bring a sparkle to many park
or trail users’ eyes is to ask if
you can meet
their dog.
Dogs are a
part of many
Central Ore-
gonians’ lives
PARKS
and are in-
volved with
their owners in many recre-
ational adventures. In Bend,
there’s so much to do with a
four-legged friend, including
walking and running on the
trails and paths, swimming in
the Deschutes River and play-
ing and running off-leash at
eight off-leash areas.
For newcomers or those
who have called Bend home
for decades, it’s a good idea to
brush up on the dos and don’ts
of dog responsibility so that
everyone can enjoy the parks
and trails. Dogs are required by
city ordinance to be on a leash
in any public area in the city
of Bend except in designated
off-leash areas. Additionally,
dog owners are to clean up af-
ter their dog. To help out, dog
waste bags and trash recepta-
cles are available at many Bend
parks and trails.
The most important step to
a successful dog park experi-
ence is knowing your dog. Not
all dogs are good candidates
Off-leash areas
in local parks
Bend has eight off-leash dog
areas in local parks including:
• Big Sky Park, 21690 Neff
Road, 5 acres, fenced, Bend
• Discovery Park, 1315 NW
Discovery Park Drive, 1.6
acres, fenced, Bend
• Riverbend Park, 799 SW Co-
lumbia St., 1.1 acres, fenced
with river access and small
dog area, Bend
• Ponderosa Park, 225 SE
15th St., 2.9 acres, fenced,
with small dog area, Bend
• Bob Wenger Memorial Off-
Leash Area at Pine Nursery
Park, NE Purcell Rd, 18.8
acres, fenced with seasonal
splash pad and small dog
park, Bend
• Hollinshead Park, 1235
NE Jones Rd, 3.7 acres, un-
fenced, Bend
• Overturf Butte Reservoir,
Skyliner Summit Loop, 4.6
acres, fenced, Bend
• Awbrey Reservoir, NW 10th
and Trenton, about 5 acres,
partially fenced, Bend
Small Dog Areas: There are
fenced small dog areas at
the Riverbend, Pine Nursery
and Ponderosa Park off-leash
areas. The criteria for small
dogs is less than 15 inches at
the shoulder and under 25
pounds.
Submitted photo
Ponderosa Park has a fenced area designated for small dogs.
for off-leash dog parks. If a dog
has not had regular interaction
with other dogs, it may lack the
necessary social skills to make
the visit safe and enjoyable. I
recently advised a friend who
adopted a puppy to socialize
her new friend at a puppy kin-
dergarten class, not at the dog
park. It’s the best place for so-
cialization, and all dogs visiting
the park must be immunized
with their tags showing current
vaccinations.
I also recommend making
your initial visit at a time that
is not busy. Daytime hours
during the week and late week-
end afternoons are generally
the quietest times at the off-
leash areas.
Just as a parent would not
leave a young child unat-
tended; watch your pet and
monitor whom he/she is play-
ing with and if their behavior
is appropriate. Remain in sight
and voice control of your dog
at all times. While we’re talking
about kids and dogs, do not al-
low children to approach a dog
without permission from the
dog’s handler. Not all dogs who
visit the dog park are socialized
to children and you would hate
for a dog or a child to learn this
the hard way.
If there is a tussle in the off-
leash area with another dog,
always respect the wishes of
the handler and be prepared
to move to another area of the
park in order to help facilitate
dogs getting along. Sometimes
a little distance is all it takes for
everyone to enjoy the off-leash
area.
Instances of off-leash dogs
in the other 70+ parks in the
Bend Park and Recreation Dis-
trict that are not designated
off-leash areas continue to be
one of the most frequent issues
raised by park and trail users.
My friendly park steward col-
leagues spend a lot of time with
reminders about the import-
ant safety reasons for leashing
furry best friends. In summer
2019, park stewards reported
almost 6,000 dog owner con-
tacts and 79% of those involved
leash compliance, so a lot of
our neighbors are complying
with leash rules and others
need reminders.
If swimming is your pup’s
favorite hobby, river access op-
tions for four-legged friends are
among other proposed projects
for public input in a river plan-
ning survey open now and vir-
tual public meetings on Satur-
day, Feb. 20. The existing river
access area for dogs is located
adjacent to Riverbend Park,
on private property, currently
leased by the park district. The
temporary use of the leased
property is expected to end and
the existing river off-leash area
will no longer be available for
lease by the district. BPRD is
working to identify other po-
tential locations for off-leash
river access. Input is welcomed
through Feb. 28 at bendpark-
sandrec.org/riverplan.
While it’s tempting to view
all open grass areas as off-leash
dog play areas, it’s not safe for
other park users. Off-leash
dogs can easily get in another
user’s way on a trail and cause
an accident or injury. For peo-
ple who are afraid or uncom-
fortable around dogs, an en-
counter with an off-leash dog
can be downright terrifying. In
addition, off-leash dogs can in-
stigate aggression problems or
fights with leashed dogs. Each
year, BPRD receives numerous
reports of problem encounters,
several resulting in dog bites or
injuries.
To play it safe for your dog
and other park visitors, please
keep the leash attached or visit
one of the designated off-leash
areas. You love ’em so leash ’em.
e e
Julie Brown is the communication and
community relations manager for Bend
Park and Recreation District.
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