In this Issue:

• Dog News - Recent events
• Formation of the PAC - History of Dog PAC, SB
• Calling All Dogs! - Call to action
• Meet the PAC - Upcoming Dog PAC party/meeting

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Dog News

Several developments affecting dogs and dog owners in Santa Barbara have occurred in the last few months. As of July 1st the city of Santa Barbara increased the number of Animal Control officers and made a concerted effort to enforce all leash laws in city parks until sundown each day of the week. In addition, Park Ranger officers have been newly charged with enforcement of leash laws as among their primary duties. Many of you are no doubt aware of this stepped-up, targeted effort and its attendant effect on your ability to exercise, train, and socialize your dogs off-leash in city parks. On August 7th the Douglas Family Preserve (DFP) Advisory Committee met to discuss the enforcement of leash laws at the Preserve. The Committee was greeted by an overflow crowd of 104 outspoken dog supporters (thank you all!), requiring that the meeting be moved to the parking lot in order to accommodate all of the attendees. The ensuing discussion was instrumental in influencing the Committee to vote unanimously not to enforce the leash laws at the Preserve for the time being, maintaining for now the "as is" use of the land with regard to dog exercise. On August 15th members of Dog PAC met with Richard Johns, Director of Parks and Recreation. In the meeting, Dog PAC offered its help as a resource for public education about responsible dog ownership, training, and dog waste cleanup in parks. Dog PAC also expressed concern about the recently increased enforcement of leash laws in city parks, in light of the historic use of such areas for dog exercise and the long-standing norms of responsible behavior in these areas. It is Mr. Johns' position that leash laws should be strictly enforced in all city park areas, without exception (other than the current DFP exclusion). On August 27th, the Parks and Recreation Commission met to discuss the DFP Advisory Committee's proposal that current leash laws not be enforced at the Preserve. Parks & Recreation "staff" disagreed with the Advisory Committee's proposal and presented its own recommendation that dogs remain on-leash on Sundays and at all times in the oak woodland area of the DFP. Following public discussion (again, thank you for your support!), the Commission voted 4-2 to recommend the Advisory Committee's original proposal (enabling off-leash exercise without stipulations) to the City Council, with Richard Johns stating that his office would continue to support the modified recommendation and "will not be in concurrence with the Commission." The Commission's recommendation will soon go before City Council, where it has to be approved before becoming permanent. Your support at that meeting is again crucial!

Birth of the PAC

Dog PAC, SB was the brain-child of Herb Fox, a dog-owning attorney who served on SWAP and the Wilcox Advisory Group.Herb became increasingly concerned over dog-owners' rights as the intricacies of the transfer unfolded, particularly in view of the enormous donations the off-lead dog people had made toward the property's purchase. Herb also felt that public education and responsible dog ownership were at the heart of the issue, and so stated on KQSB's Novus Report. Mary Anne Roberts, herself "deeply doggy," heard the broadcast and contacted Herb immediately. Mary Anne's interests dove-tailed seamlessly with Herb's - she is the Vice-President of Channel City Kennel Club and the Santa Barbara Trails Council, Public Education Coordinator for both Channel City Kennel Club and her national breed club, is a member of Los Padres Obedience Club and K-9 Kapers Therapy Dog Group, and teaches Canine Good Citizen classes. Dog PAC has since been incredibly fortunate in recruiting outstanding "dog people" and community members for our Board of Directors: Naoma Ford is on the Board of Channel City Kennel Club and the Advisory Committee for Pet-Assisted Therapy at Cottage Hospital. She is a certified Therapy Dog evaluator, and an active obedience competitor. Naoma previously served as President, Santa Barbara Zoo Auxiliary, and is a volunteer for Animal Shelter Assistance Program. Steve Eltinge is known to many in his capacity as a an award-winning dog photographer, author, and judge. Steve shares Dog PAC's concern over the plight of unwanted dogs and breed-specific legislation. He has authored articles on "Bark Parks," and is a strong advocate of public education and population control. Priscilla Carpenter came to our board with a passion for dogs and incredible book-keeping skills. She owns her own business, and holds the Douglas Family Preserve (and her dogs) close to her heart. Vicki Godlewski currently serves on the SWAP board and understands what it takes to change public policy and "make a difference." Vicki's interests are in preserving open space, and keeping Wilcox "as is." We also have a team of advisors who are vital to our PAC: Andrew Flanagin, Professor of Communication Theory and Research at UCSB; Audrey Austin, a local attorney, legal resource, and dog-activist; Cindy Stoutenborough, Graphic Designer; Ruth Roes, long-time "dog-person," and Rae Ann McLennan and Yann Ricard, technical advisors for our forthcoming web page. Our logo was designed by Steve Eltinge and Bill Roberts. We are so grateful to all of you who've responded to the questionnaires and offered your time, money, and expertise. We've grown to over 400 members in one month!! We will keep you updated on our efforts, and look forward to seeing you at the Dog-Free Social and Meeting.

Calling All Dogs!

Poll results On the majority of your application forms (excluding the earliest ones), Dog PAC asked for your responses to a series of questions so that we could be certain to accurately represent our members' interests. On a scale of 1 (not at all necessary) to 7 (completely necessary), the following items were ranked as the most important issues to Dog PAC members: public space to exercise/walk dogs off-leash [6.88], off-leash exercise of dogs in private yards/areas [6.85], a political voice for dog owners [6.52], public places where dogs and dog owners can socialize [6.41], education of the public about dog behavior/ownership [6.33], and facilities in public places for the proper disposal of dog feces [6.31]. Ordinance Change Based on this input, a main goal of Dog PAC is to work to ensure that dog owners have the right to exercise and train their dogs off-leash in city and county parks. The only long-term and secure way in which to do this is to change current ordinances which stipulate that it is illegal to have dogs off-leash in all public places. In order to accomplish this goal, we need your help. Changing an ordinance is a long and difficult battle and, ultimately, it is members' public and vocal support that will make the difference. Long-term Goals Along these lines, the recommendation by the DFP Advisory Committee for the property to remain an off-leash area should be viewed as a temporary "stay of execution" for one of the city's 55 parks. Ironically, if the city continues to push for enforcement of leash laws in city parks, the off-leash status of the Preserve might actually be detrimental for all dog owners in the long run. Without an ordinance change that allows off-leash dogs in sufficient park areas, the amount of dog traffic at the Preserve would likely increase dramatically, potentially creating a negative environmental impact and dog overpopulation there. Thus, it is imperative that we Dog PAC members work with all concerned community members to guarantee sufficient resources for off-leash dog exercise and laws to secure such freedoms permanently. Continued Support of PAC Members As key events arise, we will be asking for your help - to attend meetings, to help recruit members, to write letters, and to take action in other ways that enable us to realize our collective goals of workable solutions for responsible dog ownership in Santa Barbara. In the meantime, please continue to give us your feedback! Please continue to help us with your valuable ideas! Please support Dog PAC in any way that you can! And, thank you to all of you who have contributed money, ideas, and time to Dog PAC! We (and all our dogs) appreciate your support.

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Meet the PAC!!

Come to the (dog-free) Dog PAC Social & Meeting! Saturday, September 13th from 10am - 12pm Dog PAC is hosting a dog-free social at Stevens Park in San Roque (off Canon Drive). This is our chance to meet each other, to discuss issues that are important to us, and to strategize as to how to achieve our goals. Dog PAC will supply bagels and juice. Please feel free to bring snacks or drinks if you want to. See you there!!