Keep Our Dogs Free: Don't Ban Unleashed Dogs from Bay Area Parks!
- by: Matthew Murphy
- recipient: Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director, National Park Service; Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Jared Huffman, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer , San Francisco, CA
The National Park Service has created a Dog Management Plan that would ban unleashed dogs everywhere but just 7 places in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) -- a tiny fraction of the 80,000-acre federal park.
If this plan moves forward, it would not only limit our dogs' freedom to roam and play, but would create significant obstacles for San Francisco dog walkers, driving up the cost of dog walking & care.
Please sign my petition to ask the National Park Service and state legislators to stop plans to ban unleashed dogs from Bay Area federal parkland!
I live in San Francisco in an apartment, and like most people in the city I have no yard space for my dog. I work all day, so my dog Trooper is totally dependent on our dog walker for exercise, daytime socialization, even bathroom breaks. I couldn't have adopted a dog without the service people like our dog walker provide.
Our dog walker relies on the ability to take Trooper & other dogs to areas within the GGNRA that would be off-limits for unleashed dogs under this plan. Trooper thoroughly enjoys his freedom -- it's a crucial source of socialization for him and gets him used to being around other dogs.
San Francisco residents have opposed this plan in large numbers but our voices have been ignored. It's sad that Washington bureaucrats might strip Trooper of the freedom he enjoys so much.
Playtime isn't the only thing that suffers, though, if life gets harder for San Francisco's dog walkers. Every obstacle we put in front of them makes their service more expensive, and adds to the cost of owning a pet. Pricing San Francisco families out of pet ownership with burdensome, unnecessary rules and regulations means more amazing dogs like Trooper will spend their lives in shelters without a permanent home.
Please sign my petition to ask the National Park Service and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Jared Huffman, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer to stop plans to ban unleashed dogs from Bay Area federal parkland!
Update #36 years ago
URGENT: Please sign our
new petition to save dog walking in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where people have been walking with their dogs for 40+ years. The newInterior Secretary is a dog lover, but his underlings at the National Park Service are still trying to ban dog walking from most of this urban recreation area. Please sign our petition asking him to stop this. In this densely packed urban area, dogs and their people need spaces to recreate!
Update #27 years ago
Federal bureaucrats want to ban dogs from beaches and trails in SF’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Submit a comment now to stop this plan: http://1.usa.gov/1XnqZ6O
Sample Comment: I oppose the National Park Service's highly restrictive dog management rule. GGNRA was established as an urban recreation area—not a national park. The proposed rule will place an undue hardship on San Francisco Bay Area residents and their dogs who rely on GGNRA for healthy recreation and livable cities.
Update #18 years ago
UPDATE: Your signatures will be delivered May 24, but we need your help in the meantime! The National Park Service is soliciting public comments on this plan. Submit a comment telling the Park Service you oppose these severe restrictions on off-leash and on-leash dog walking in Golden Gate National Recreation Area: http://bit.ly/1ScM5RS
For sample comments, visit saveoffleash.com
