Yes, it is very annoying. What is most annoying is that those of us who are
serious dog enthusiasts (as many of you know, I raise and show dogs, and
also compete in performance events) can't take our own dogs out ON LEAD in
many parks without some dog rushing up, invading our and our dogs' personal
space, while the owner shouts "it's OK, he's friendly!". Well, my dog may
NOT be friendly with a larger beast rushing right up to him -- and as a dog
person, I can tell you that your dog's up-raised, stiffly waving tail and
direct eye contact with my dog is NOT being friendly!

At Rock Creek a week or so ago, I told someone to put their dog on lead and
he said "why?" and I pointed out a large White-tail buck, neck swollen in
the height of the rut, standing at the edge of the woods and looking fixedly
at the dog. "Well, if your dog runs up to HIM he's going to get tossed or
gored..." "Oh..." and the lead went on.

Well, that's enough -- back to birding...

Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD


on 10/27/2009 3:24 PM, Michael Bowen at  wrote:

> Thanks, Jason, for the clarification.
> 
> There certainly were off-leash dogs at Battery Kemble Park, DC, when
> I was there on Monday.  Jason is right on when he says Battery Kemble
> is a de facto dog park.
> 
> And the last time I was at Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown, also
> administered by the NPS and full of "no dogs off leash" notices, the
> place was full of roaming dogs.
> 
> We Bethesdans have the same situation in Norwood Park in Chevy Chase,
> MD, a Montgomery County/MNCPPC park.  I bird there frequently and
> despite the notices, 90% of the many dogs that are almost always
> present run around unrestrained.
> 
> I like dogs as much as the next birder, and I appreciate that all
> dogs (like people) need exercise, but the flagrant disregard of the
> postings (and of other park users) by so many dog owners is a
> favorite complaint of mine. I particularly dislike to see dogs
> paddling through clean creeks and swimming in ponds that attract
> water birds.  When I have complained to authorities about the lack of
> policing, the universal response from park employees is "We just
> don't have the personnel to enforce the prohibition."
> 
> Mike Bowen
> Bethesda, MD
> 
> 
> 
> At 03:44 PM 10/27/2009 -0400, Jason Waanders wrote:
>> I generally avoid mixing my work (as an Interior Department lawyer)
>> with birding, but I'll make an exception to correct one point in Mike's post.
>> 
>> Battery Kemble is administered by the National Park Service, and
>> dogs off-leash are prohibited, as they are at all local NPS parks.
>> Some NPS parks, like Battery Kemble and Ft. Bayard Park (where I
>> regularly bird), have become de facto dog parks--I suspect this
>> occurs because NPS does not enforce its regulation as frequently as
>> DC does for DC city parks. But the off-leash dogs are still not legal.
>> 
>> Jason Waanders
>> NW DC
>> jwaandersATstarpower.net
> 
> D.H. Michael Bowen
> 8609 Ewing Drive
> Bethesda, MD  20817
> Telephone: (301) 530-5764
> e-mail:  dhmbowenATyahooDOTcom
> 
> -- I use GoodSearch to benefit the American Birding Association --
> http://www.goodsearch.com/