I agree, but it depends on demographics.

I had family who lived in Roseburg, OR for a while and I remember the experiences walking my Cocker Spaniel in that town. I would be walking, my dog would find a bush or spot of grass he liked, lifted his leg to go pee, and some old man would come barging out his door looking as if I was some neighborhood bully knocked out his grandson's two front teeth.

In neighborhoods with elderly people buy to die, their entire yard and home is their castle. Woe to he or she whose dog puts it's feet on their over manicured grass.

It got to a point where I would walk my dog where new housing starts were first so that I when I came around to the nicer parts of the neighborhood, I would be holding a bag of shit.

When confronted with the usual, "Get your dog off my yard!" I replied with the look of ice water in my veins and the calmest, most serious tone, "Do you really want to argue with a man holding a bag of shit? Because some of it could be coming your way."

I was never confronted by any individual again whom I gave that spiel to and I always walked my dog with a bag of shit in my free hand to make confrontations easier.

I agree, but let's be honest...I'm a dog owner, and I've seen a lot of other dog owners let their dogs relieve themselves in very conspicuous places. Like in the middle of the sidewalk. However, it's much, much worse in cities like New York where the ratio of dog parks to dog owners is much smaller than Portland's. If you let the dog parks disappear, you can bet dog owners aren't going to make their dogs "go away". Those dog owners are going to walk their dogs in your public parks and you're going to step in a whole lot more than you have been. If you take unused areas (say, behind a building where you can't build anything due to code restrictions and such) and invest a few bucks in a good fence and a few dog bowls, throw some grass seed down, dog owners will rather hurry their dogs over to that area and let them go there, than in the middle of your sidewalk. Dog owners who care will frequently pitch in to help maintain neighborhood parks, as has been proven with many of them around Portland.

The Laurelhurst incident was charged to Francesconi because community gardeners had warned him, in writing, that "the situation is going to turn ugly, and we would like some proactive management" at least two years before the incident happened. The "emergency plan" adopted came from Randy and Vera's comments at a public hearing about what they did themselves. It finally passed when it was realized that Seattle and SF "have more" than Portland. In short, it was textbook what people don't like about the City Council.

RyanLeo, you have to understand that the reaction was about Californians, not dogs. We can smell you. My Bengal cat is from Cali, and when I walk her, she gets the same reaction from people.

Like bike progressiveness, this is an area where Portland is being caught up by regular ol' America. Food security will be a growing issue in the coming years, and more and more, 'quality of life', in particular green spaces, are growing considerations when business decides to (re)locate.

This isn't a new idea. It's been in the works for 9 years. Let's get 'er done!

I see an awful lot of people driving their dogs to the off-leash area in Wilshire Park. OTOH, I see a fair number of people walking their dogs around my neighborhood (Hollywood).

But given the evidence provided by the BBC's Ethical Man, do you really want to encourage more dog ownership in Portland?

Paul G - that's exactly why we need more dog parks.

As a dog owner I will walk my dog around the neighborhood, or to a local park, but I'd rather go to a dog park where a. there's more space for her to run, b. kids who are scared of dogs won't feel uncomfortable playing, and c. other dogs are around for her to play with and have some socializing time.

When I lived in a neighborhood without a dog park I would find excuses to drive to a dog park - usually picking the best one, not necessarily the closest. Now that I live near a dog park I walk my dog there instead of driving to a "better" (fully fenced, water available, etc.) dog park.

I would guess there are many others like this. The more neighborhood parks that have separate dog areas - like Alberta Park in NE and Wallace Park in NW, or better yet fenced off dog areas within a bigger park like Gabriel Park in SW - the higher the chances dog-owners will walk their dogs in the neighborhood instead of driving elsewhere.

Kari - thanks for pointing out how a divisive issue can actually enhance our neighborhoods and bring people together!

I don't particularly like dogs -- I'm a cat person with an "I like some individual dogs quite a bit based on their personality" sort of outlook -- and I'm in favor of dog parks with well-defined areas. Assuming, that is, that you can prove that dog owners will go there.

I frequently see plenty of dogs running around on school grounds with their entitled owners ignoring the DOGS PROHIBITED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS sign.

I'd love to say there should be a stick to go along with the carrot, but there are vastly more important things that law enforcement is already completely ignoring.

I own a couple of hunting dogs so I guess you can put me in the "I like dogs" category. I am a bit mystified on how this topic makes it to Blue Oregon, but whatever. I have felt guilty at times because the annual Vet bills for my Retrievers would probably pay for the medical needs of a dozen kids in Africa or wherever, but this post relieves me of my liberal guilt. I guess I am helping my community.

Zarathustra,

I am fairly confident that your Russian Grizzly Bear gets quite the reaction in Boise, ID when walking him :)

yes maybe jes will more time in dog park after this.

<h2>for the kids problem i totally agree. especially if you have a dog with this size www.random-good-stuff(dot)com/2007/04/16/the-worlds-biggest-dog-ever/</h2>