Friends—
Our next Members Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 17 from 7 PM in Griffith Hall of USciences.
The primary agenda item is discussion of the new dog policy established by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Highlights include the following:
A volunteer neighborhood group can petition to start a dog run in a park. There are currently seven. The group must establish that there is strong community support, & also that it is willing & able to maintain the run independently of PP&R.
A park group can also petition to establish a dog-free zone. This comes with signage & all.
A citywide animal-control team has been contracted by the city to respond to & deal with low-grade dog offenses & issues. There is a number people can call. The police will respond to actual attacks by dogs on humans.
Outside a dog run, the leash law is in effect. The leash must be 6′ or shorter.
There is a nice list of other commonsense dog dos & don’ts.
PP&R understands the culture of de facto off-leash dog areas like the Bowl & it will leave well enough alone. As long as “unpermitted” dog use takes place in an orderly way, without arousing problems in the community, PP&R has no intention of interfering.
Please let me know if there are other agenda items for the meeting.