DFA "MYTH": I heard the Winnemac Dog Park committee wants to tear down trees.

Winnemac Park Dog Friendly Area Committee has made environmental preservation a PRIMARY focus of our decision-making principles. We are loathe to remove any trees—the only reason that healthy trees are ever removed during dog park construction is so that equipment can gain access to the site. We are opposed to locations and construction plans that require the removal of mature trees, and have invited all neighbors concerned about the Dog Park's environmental impact to join our design committee, and help influence these decisions.

REALITY: We don't know as of September 2022 what the plan is. No site has been decided upon. None of the sites that have been floated for a DFA don't have trees. We know any site will need water and that will involve use of equipment. A big problem is that dog urine is acidic with high concentrations of urea, nitrogen, and salts, all of those very harmful to trees and plants. Urine and feces deposits and run off will certainly impact vegetation in a dog park and eventually adjacent land over time.

DFA "MYTH": The presence of a Dog Park is dangerous and unhealthy for children who use other parts of Winnemac Park.

This is an unfounded assertion with no substantiation. In fact, many would assert that dog parks make areas with heavy dog traffic safer for children and canines alike.

REALITY: "Many would assert" lots of things! Where is the evidence? A DFA is likely to be right in the middle of areas of the park that are utilized by Chappell and Amundsen students, day care centers, other visiting schools, and families and kids in general. Any DFA is going to have to be located next to areas used by kids and families and students. Remember, too, that a DFA is dedicated space that really is not available to others besides dog owners. For example, a family can picnic on a baseball outfield or a movie in the park can be shown when a game isn’t going on. Likewise musicians can gather or children can play tag on a soccer or baseball field after games have concluded. But no one but dog owners will set foot in a dog park or be able to use it in any other way. That land is permanently taken away from the rest of the community.

DFA "MYTH": Dog owners will not pick up after themselves. The Dog Park Committee will abandon the Dog Park after it's built, and no one will keep it clean.

There is no evidence to support this assertion. The majority of dog owners are amongst the Park's most fastidious users, not only picking up after themselves, but also each other. The committee has visited many dog parks in preparation for design work, and have found that when owners do not pick up after their dogs, other dog owners feel compelled to call them out or pick it up themselves.

The current leadership of the Dog Friendly Area are committed to staying in our positions until our volunteer infrastructure is solid. All of the City of Chicago's more than 30 Dog Friendly Areas have volunteer committees that have consistently maintained them without issue, in some cases for decades.

REALITY: People can be very well-meaning and while they live in the area and use the dog park, responsible about upkeep. However, the Park District does NO maintenance or upkeep, nor are they involved in checking to make sure animals are up to date on vaccinations. It is entirely up to volunteers to take care of and monitor a DFA. If something goes wrong, as happened with the fountain in Horner Park's DFA this summer, it's up to volunteers to fix it-and find the funding to do so.

We've certainly heard more complaints about the conditions of the tennis courts since dog owners have begun using them for play areas.

"DFA PARTIAL MYTH": The Dog Park won't solve the off-leash problem.

The off-lease problem is more complex than a Dog Park, or our Committee, can solve all on our own. But while off-leash dogs would not be entirely eliminated, they would be significantly reduced.

REALITY: There is no evidence that has been offered that makes any connection between DFAs and fewer problems with off-leash dogs. It's likely that owners who are interested in socializing with other owners will indeed gravitate to a DFA but there are other owners who believe their dogs need to be able to roam and/or run long distances and that a dog park's boundaries are unappealing. There IS a solution to off-leash dogs--and that is enforcement (even random enforcement) of the city ordinances requiring dogs to be on leash. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be the will on the part of those who could make this happen to earn the city a little money by ticketing violators.