Dogs in Bend
Help make Bend a dog-friendly town
Info and action
In its Fall 2004 issue, Bend Living estimated there were 45,000 to 50,000 dogs in Deschutes County. Allowing for population growth, there would be 55,000 today. That means there are tens of thousands of dog guardians who are citizens and taxpayers, yet whose interests have not been given much weight in park and forest access policies. Fortunately, that is beginning to change -- because dog guardians have been telling decision makers how important access is to them.
If you seek off-leash access to some city parks and high quality national forest areas, read on and be an active citizen -- let your elected officials and/or public servants know that this issue is important to you as a citizen and taxpayer. Please be respectful and positive, but also clear about what you seek, either specifically (e.g., off-leash access at Meadow Camp) or generally (e.g., you'd like to help make Bend the most dog-friendly town in Oregon rather than the least dog-friendly town). I believe we can make Bend dog-friendly with some commitment and creativity.
In the following email lists, I include my own address so I have a sense of the diverse perspectives and how many emails have been sent on this issue. If you'd rather not have a copy of your message sent to me, simply delete the dogs@bendbroadband.com address.
This is your chance to help make Bend a dog-friendly town, one in which there are places for you to walk or hike with your dog off-leash without breaking the law.
City parks
City parks in Bend are managed by the Bend Metro Parks and Recreation District (Bend Metro). They manage 71 parks, but only one of these (Big Sky) provides off-leash dog access, and that park isn't even in the city limits. In other words, half the citizens and taxpayers of Bend own dogs, but they are not allowed to have their dogs off-leash in any public park within the city.
Parks and Rec's own research shows the importance of developing off-leash areas. Results from their most recent community survey indicate that such areas represent by far the biggest unmet need with respect to city parks. Check out these graphs, especially the bottom one.
Looking around the state and region, one soon realizes that Bend is unique not in being dog-friendly, but in being dog-unfriendly. Check out the following examples of fenced dog parks and unfenced off-leash areas: Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Ashland, Salem, other city parks Oregon, state parks in Oregon, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. If all these other towns can be dog-friendly, so can we!
Heck, even our nation's largest metropolis, New York City, has found a way to provide unfenced off-leash access. Manhattan alone has 24 fenced dog parks and off-leash access in 6 unfenced parks -- including Central Park.
For lists of dog parks around the country, check out Pet Friendly, Dog Friendly, Dog Park, and Dog Fun.
We've been making progress on this issue, and Parks and Rec has indicated they will provide additional off-leash access in city parks -- stay tuned for details as things develop in 2008. Send an email to the City Council and Bend Metro executive director. Thank them for their open-ness to a creative solution that will allow additional off-leash areas in Bend while still respecting citizens who do not wish to encounter off-leash dogs.
National forests
Most of the land to the west of Bend (as well as much to the east) is the Deschutes National Forest. Dogs are allowed off-leash in much of the forest, but they are not allowed during hiking season in the high quality areas along the River Trail, from Meadow Camp to Benham Falls, or on trails in the Three Sisters Wilderness, from South Sister Climbing Trail to Broken Top.
I've called several other national forests in Oregon, and none of them has these types of restrictions on trails. I support having some areas where off-leash dogs are not allowed, but I firmly believe dog owners and their off-leash dogs should have access to high quality trails -- and the experience of other forests shows that this can be done.
The restricted area of the Deschutes National Forest falls within the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District. This email list includes the district ranger (Phil Cruz), as well as the recreation forester involved with this issue (Marv Lang). Send them an email and let them know how you feel about off-leash access to quality recreation sites on the Deschutes.
