DOG PARK ETIQUETTE AND SAFETY TIPS

Have realistic expectations about your dog’s suitability for going to a dog park. If he isn’t polite or friendly with others, get help to change his behavior before you take him to a dog park. Dog parks are not a place to rehabilitate fearful or aggressive dogs or those that just don’t know how to play well with others.

Before you take your dog into a dog park, spend a few minutes watching the other dogs and how they are playing and interacting with others. If the dogs seem to be too rough in their play or are intimidating other dogs, come back some other time. 

If your dog has never been around other dogs before – don’t go to a dog park until he’s had a chance to be around other dogs in other situations so you have a better idea of how he reacts to other dogs.

If you aren’t sure how your dog will behave, go to the park when it’s not busy. Most parks are busy in the morning or late afternoon/early evening.

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 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. 

 History of the REDLANDS DOG PARK

Before we get into the history of Redlands Dog Park, we'd like to give a quick shoutout to Web Hosting Buddy & SiteGround for making this website possible!

The Redlands Dog Park has been "in the works" for quite some time. To follow is a recap of all that has taken place:

 9/14/00 – 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.

 4/6/01 – 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.

 9/4/01 – 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. However, Recreation Commissioner Patty Holohan recommended that the dog park (#15) be swapped with a project at the Community Center for the children (#23). The Council agreed. Ultimately, this move put the dog park too far down the ‘Wish List' to receive funds that were allocated by the bond measure.

 4/23/03 – 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.

 10/03 – 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.

 10/14/04 – Elizabeth Kulbin, with the support of a local service club, made a presentation to the Redlands Parks Commission regarding the possibility of establishing a dog park at Ford Park that would be funded by private donations and maintained via a collective effort by the city, the service club and a dedicated group of volunteers. The Parks Commission voted to support the development of the project.

 11/16/04 – The City Council approved the Parks Commission's recommendation to develop a dog park facility in Ford Park.

 12/04 - 6/05 – Community meetings were held so that residents could contribute their ideas and suggestions of what they would like to see in Redlands' first dog park.

 11/05 – By compiling the ideas and suggestions gathered from the community, a formal design plan was developed for the Redlands Dog Park

 3/06 The Redlands Parks Commission approved the formal design plan

 6/06 The Rotary Club of Redlands made a contribution, via The Redlands Community Foundation, to the Redlands Dog Park in the amount of $13,000.

 4/07 The Rotary Club of Redlands made an additional contribution of $2,000

 5/08 – After an extended ‘intermission', we have re-grouped and re-charged and are moving forward to make the Redlands Dog Park a reality! 

2009 - R.U.F.F. Raises the funding needed to construct the Dog Park.

8/10-  We are awaiting final approval of our plans from the City of Redlands. We will annouce the "Ground Barking Ceremony" and begin the construction of the Redlands Dog Park very soon!!  Thank You for generous contributions !!

12/10 - Redlands City Council approves the Dog Park !!

3/11 Redlands Dog Park Breaks Ground !!

4/11 Construction begins on the Dog Park.

JUNE 12, 2011 REDLANDS DOG PARK OPENS !!