Redlands Dog Park

The Redlands Dog Park has been “in the works” for quite some time. To follow is a recap of all that has taken place: Sept. 14, 2000– Redlands resident, Samuel H. Freedman, submitted a detailed proposal to the Redlands Parks Commission and the Redlands City Council regarding the establishment of a dog park in Redlands. The Parks Commission unanimously approved the park site, but the project lingered at the council level. April 6, 2001– According to a document from the State of California, the City of Redlands was to be allocated $615,000 from the 2000 Proposition 12 Park Bond Act. Sept. 4, 2001 – In anticipation of the funds from the Proposition 12 Park Bond Act allocation to the City of Redlands, a “Wish List” was developed by the Parks & Recreation Commissions recommending a list of capital improvements. Development of a dog park at Ford Park was originally #15 on the list. April 23, 2003– Mr. Freedman again contacted the city regarding the status of the proposed dog park. He also notified the city that, although he would continue to be available for input and suggestions, he was having to move out of state in the near future and would not be able to advocate for the project locally. Oct. 03 – Having seen an article in the Redlands Daily Facts regarding Mr. Freedman’s efforts, Elizabeth Kulbin contacted the city regarding the status of the dog park project. She was informed that the city supported the concept, but did not have the staffing or the funds at that time to see it through.

April 2007-The Rotary Club of Redlands made an additional contribution of $2,000. Introduce your dogs to other dogs gradually – allow your dog to greet other dogs while he’s still in the separate entry area or let your dogs sniff around the fenced boundary. Be careful entering a dog park gate. Other dogs tend to crowd around to greet arriving dog. This jostling and crowding can be quite intimidating to many dogs and may result in a skirmish, or worse. Do not linger in the double gated area. Walk in and close gates. Make sure the gate behind you is closed before you open the next gate. Remove your leash and encourage your dog to move away from the crowded gate area. Do not take your small children or babies in strollers to a dog park. Dogs and children can easily frighten one another and bad things can happen to either of them in the blink of an eye. Supervise your dog. This is not the time for you to be distracted talking with other owners or burying yourself in a book. You must be monitoring your dog’s activities to be sure she isn’t behaving badly and other dogs are not behaving badly toward her. This is another reason not to take young children – you can’t adequately supervise both dogs and kids at the same time. Be particularly watchful of small dogs around big dogs. Don’t let big dogs frighten or threaten small dogs. Aggression between big and small dogs is especially likely to result in injuries to the small dog. Pick up after your dog. You don’t want to step in another dog’s poop anymore than someone else wants to step in your dog’s mess. If your dog seems to be fearful or is being “bullied” by other dogs, don’t let her stay, thinking she will “get over it”, that she will learn to “stand up for herself”. Chances are greater her behavior will get worse. Don’t forget to check out this place in Redlands too.

Don’t let other dogs threaten or scare your dog. If they won’t leave, then remove your dog. If your dog is being a bully, being threatening or aggressive, or just seems to be overly excited, remove him from the park, either temporarily or permanently. It is not fair to put other dogs at risk. Make the safety of other dogs and people as high a priority as the safety of your own. Know how to break up a dog fight. Direct Stop™, a harmless but effective citronella spray or a small hand-held air horn are your best bets. Don’t try to pull her off by the collar, or get in the middle of the fight as this only adds to the general arousal and greatly increases either the dogs’ or your, chances of injury. Always take your cell phone and have the phone number of the local animal control agency. Call animal control or the local police and report any aggressive person or dog that won’t leave the dog park. These individuals are dangerous to people and dogs. Be knowledgeable about dog body postures, communication signals and social behavior. You should be able to recognize stress, tension, fear, play, threats and aggression. Know the difference between play (which can be very active and sound violent) and real threats. Know when to intervene and when to stay out of an interaction among dogs. If you feel uninformed about canine behavior, learn more before taking your dog to a park. Harm can come to your dog if you under-react as well as over-react. Recognize that by taking your dog to a dog park, you are accepting a degree of risk that your dog may be injured or may injure another dog. If you are ever in need of home renovation, click here.