UPDATE 2/7/2020: Thank you to everyone who supported this petition. Unfortunately, I've just heard back from the Parks and Recreation Director. She stated that we cannot allow off-leash dog hours at this time due to the School District's concerns of additional traffic and waste. While this is very disappointing, I hope we can keep brainstorming!

The Good News is that the City/County is looking into Three Springs Community Park and Durango Mesa Park for new dog parks. The Mesa Park is somewhat close to the South Side of Durango, so this might be a nice compromise for everyone.

Thank you all again!

UPDATE 12/05/2019: The next Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting is on December 11, 2019 at 5:00pm at the Durango Rec Center in the Windom Room. This petition has been added to the agenda! If you're able to, we would love it if you could attend and support this idea! Thank you for all of your signatures and support!

Fanto Park is the South Side's favorite place to enjoy the playground, picnics, sports, and dogs. In the interest of sharing this park with all community members with all interests, this petition is proposing the following:

7am-7pm: No off-leash dogs allowed in the park. This will allow neighbors to enjoy the park without needing to worry about dogs. This will also align with Park Elementary's school schedule.

7pm-7am: Off-leash dogs are allowed. Owners must be present. Owners must clean up after their dogs. Dogs must be under voice control at all times.

This schedule will still require that no users enter the park during Park Elementary's school hours 7:55am-3:00pm during the school year (begins August 26, 2019).

I also hope that the city will be willing to adjust these hours during the weekends to allow for more off-leash time! Additional considerations for hours are welcomed (i.e. having the hours be from 5pm-7am, or having additional hours on the weekends!).

Thank you so much for considering signing! I hope this could be a nice compromise for our neighborhood's families and pets alike. You're welcome to leave a comment below as well!