Wallingford Playfield is a popular park for kids and families — and off-leash dogs.
An aerial view of Wallingford Playfield from Seattle Parks.
A local dog owner was recently cited $100 for having an off-leash dog at the park, we learned on the Wallingford Moms Yahoo Group, and warns of patrols at the park.
“In response to a complaint from a citizen who claimed her child was ‘charged’ by a dog at the Wallingford Playfield/Park, we contacted Seattle Animal Control and asked them to perform emphasis patrols at the park,” Joelle Hammerstad with Seattle Parks tells us. She reminds residents that “outside of dog off-leash areas, dogs off leash are against the law. Fines can vary from $50 to $500.”
my dogs have been charged by children on many occasions.
I find the dog owners who let their dogs off leash here are very responsible – when another dog comes, or children scream and interest the dog, they dog gets leashed.
it really sucks that people can't figure out a way to get along without having to resort to involving animal control. I know there are rules, but in my view they are guidelines. It is really nice for people to run their dogs in the early mornings or at night when there are no children present. My dogs remain on leash, but I have always thought it was really nice that everyone uses the park in the way they need to
lighten up and learn how to get along people
Early morning or evening is one thing, but there are dogs running around off-leash in that park throughout the day. Your view of them as “guidelines” is silly – I suppose stop signs and traffic lights are just “guidelines” for you too? What a nonsense argument.
Having a dog off-leash in the city is irresponsible. It is dangerous for the dog and frightening to many people. And saying that there is nothing frightening about a dog only represents your own viewpoint, not that of those with traumatic (dog-related or not) experiences in their past. I think that dogs should have the ability to run free whenever they need to work something out, which is why it is equally irresponsible to have a dog in the city at all. Dogs are still natural animals and do not deserve to be treated as poorly as we treat ourselves and other humans. In my opinion, they should be where they are free to enjoy themselves or get into trouble when the instinct drives them to it. They should not be fed kibble and confined to a stinky yard or house all day.
Such blanket, absolute, and ridiculous statements make me think you've never actually owned a dog, eh?
dude. really.
I have come across many dog owners who have patiently leashed and held their
dogs to allow my children to pet them and visit with them. I
appreciate these owners for allowing my children to have positive
experiences with dogs.
But, I have had many negative experiences – from barking dogs running at us, a dog knocking my son down while the owner wasn't paying attention and a dog chewing up my son's toy. Once, I was walking on the playfield at Wallingford Park with my 2 year old a small dog came running at us, barking. I was 8 months pregnant and barely managed to scoop up my son before the dog reached us. I asked (no, probably not politely) for the owner to leash her dog. She told me I should confine my child to the playground instead. She also told me that the dog had never chased and barked at anyone before. I was frustrated that she didn't take responsibility and I had no means to keep my children safe.
For me, the bottom line is that dogs and children are both unpredictable. The difference is that children don't have huge teeth and are not legally required to be leashed. I am all for dogs and people sharing parks, but I am not willing to take an owner's word for it that their dog is friendly. The consequences are too great.
I agree and ask you to join my constant efforts in lobbying the City Council, the governor's office and the FBI to create a Dog Sanctuary or Canine Reservation so we can return our dog brothers to the wild and allow them to shake the shackles of white oppression and blatant mistreatment. Thank you.
I would need to know what was 'blanket' and 'ridiculous' about my statements in order to respond to that portion of your reply. Obviously, since I don't think dogs should live in the city, I have never owned a dog. Since you seem to be interested, I have chickens and a rescued turtle. 🙂 I am not a 'dude', really.
If you have some sort of form letter to forward to our representatives, I would be happy to take a look. Though, I don't consider them brothers, so if that language is included I would have to give it a pass. Good luck!
Would just like to point out that dogs were domesticated 15,000 years ago from wolves and wouldn't actually survive in the wild. The modern dog is only created to be man's servant. No dog has ever actually been in the wild.
We didn't pluck a bulldog or bichon out of the forest.
Dogs are truly man-made.
All true. Unfortunately, there are those who would argue these same things for other human ethnicities and social statuses than their own, as well. “They are made to serve us” isn't a solid or humanitarian argument.
Then go to an off-leash park. Period.
We walk our dogs (on-leash) in the early morning and in the late evening, and we're often approached by off-leash dogs and their clueless, “oh-he's-friendly” owners. What most people don't understand is that off-leash dogs, whether they're running toward you or not, terrify many on-leash dogs. On-leash dogs feel trapped and unable to defend themselves. We have a dog that developed such bad leash reactivity after being charged at by “friendly” dogs at parks, that he we can't take him for walks anymore. Even after thousands of dollars in behavioral work, he's relegated to the backyard for the rest of his life.
Thanks a lot.
Wallingford Playfield is not a legal off-lease dog area and never has been. Years of community meetings and outreach resulted in reiterating that classification when the park was being redone around 2000; nothing has changed in the interim though enforcement has always been spotty. That said, even with Field Closed signs posted every winter, it looks like an off-leash area despite many posted signs that indicate that it is not . . . It is a matter of Municipal Code. I encourage Wallingford dog owners to find a legitimate place for an off-leash dog park and do the work to legitimize it, a great outcome. (Wallingford Playfield has been ruled out over and over and over; it has a human playfield, a picnic area and a children's play area and the latter is especially not compatible with off-leash dogs . . .)
That picture is from before the Seattle School District logged the south end of the park and blurred the line between what is public park and public school property; that lime green line is the actual old border between the two. That playfield is always closed all winter (not that off-leash dog owners of Hamilton school staff respect that) and the walking path is not designed as a field track . . . how's our park looking these days? To me it looks like a trashed extension of Hamilton Middle School with unleashed dogs running around . . .
That picture between the two. That playfield is always closed all winter (not that off-leash dog owners OR Hamilton school staff with students in tow respect that) and the walking path is not designed as a field track . . . how's our park looking these days? To me it looks like a trashed extension of Hamilton Middle School with unleashed dogs running around . . .
Owning a dog in the city is really a numbers game. If say (like 20 years ago in Wallingford) every 10th house had a dog. Then your really not going to have a problem. But now we have every other house with a Dog, some 2!!!. Add crazy people who live in Condos with dogs. You have overload. Density is good, but not for animals. Personally if you want Dogs move to North Bend buy a couple acres fenced and your dogs can run free and you will never need to the walk around with a leaky black bag again. Why Live here with Dog?
There are many responsible dog owners who walk their dogs on leashes and do not bring them into stores, banks, etc. Thank you, good owners. The rest of you, please remember that it is a crowded city and even the best dog can be unpredictable in this environment–please leash. Good on the city for finally sending patrols.
Nice. Great to know this. 🙂
I am not arguing. I am stating an opinion. My opinion is not silly nonsense. My opinion comes from years of responsible dog ownership and lifelong city living. I am also of the opinion that if by some miracle more children (and their parents) were expected to behave half as well as we expect all dogs to, life would be a little sweeter in the Wallyhood.
And as far as stop signs and traffic lights go: as a dog walking pedestrian in Wallingford, my experience is that cars run through crosswalks and stop signals about 30 to 50% of the time. I haven't counted, but enough so that I am surprised when they stop for me. THAT is another conversation.
There is a lot of good Dog parks in Wallingford Area. Being near many other surrounding towns like Ballard and Green Lake it gives us the chance to walk to many local Dogs in the Seattle. Here is a post for Smith & Burns about some Dog parks they would recommend. https://smithandburnsseattle.com/2016/05/06/best-pet-friendly-activities-seattle-wa/