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May 10 , 2006
East Park Dog Park Grand Opening!
Click here to see some pooches having fun at the East Park Dog Park in advance of the Grand Opening!
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April 29, 2006
The fencing is up on the East Park Dog Park. Users may begin using it. Other features will be added to the park over time.
I will be forming a "Friends of East Park Dog Park" committee to work through LASWDA to help take care of and monitor the use of the East Park Dog Park and promote responsible dog park use.
Duties of the members will include:
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April 26, 2006
The animal control ordinance drafted by the Animal Control Task Force passed 7-0 at the April 25th Council Meeting. This is a wonderful ordinance that is designed to rely on public education with regards to animal ownership instead of punitive measures to punish all dog/animal owners.
This ordinance was designed for our community and may not be right for all communities who may want to consider this ordinance for their municipalities. We had many public meetings, months of write-in comment, and spent time out and about learning how our community wants to live with their dogs and then tried to write a law that would respect the rights of the non-dog owning public, and the rights of the responsible dog owning public, while not caving in to the alarmist tactics of those who would punish all for having a dog or a specific breed of dog and having measures to fine the irresponsible. We believe our citizen's issues can be solved through education not legislation.
There is a 30-day period after publication of the new ordinance before it goes into effect. The date for publication is April 30, 2006. The date the new ordinance will be in effect is May 30, 2006.
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April 18, 2006
The public hearing for the new Animal Control Ordinance is set for April 25th. Council Chambers at the Municipal Building 7:00 pm Please mark your calendars.
Please, please make every effort to be there and help get this ordinance passed. This is the last chance for the those who want overly restrictive and punitive animal control laws to make their stand. It is extremely important that this ordinance have wide and broad public support. If you can't come do write the council council@lac.losalamos.nm.us , but please do come to the hearing. Bodies count. Bodies are extremely important.
This is a good ordinance. It puts the burden of responsible dog ownership squarely on the dog owners, defines non-acceptable behaviors and holds animal owner's responsible for their and their animal's behavior instead of placing overly restrictive animal ordinances on all that prohibit most activities that many responsible Los Alamos animal owner's enjoy but would still not stop the inexcusable actions of the irresponsible.
With the passing of this ordinance:
April 04 , 2006
The plans for the construction of a dog park on the back quarter of East Park has successfully made it through the CAO's office. Construction should begin soon!February 18, 2006
The Council worksession on February 14 went extremely well. The additions needed for Voice and Sight control in La Senda, Pajarito Acres, and the Stable Area, were included as well as the elimination of dog licensing. Other minor modifications were made to the ordinance and it should be ready for introduction soon. There will be a public hearing on the ordinance on April 11.
This is a good ordinance. It puts the burden of responsible dog ownership squarely on the dog owners, defines non-acceptable behaviors and holds animal owner's responsible for their pet's behavior instead of placing overly restrictive animal ordinances on all that prohibit most activities that many responsible Los Alamos dog owner's enjoy but would still not stop the inexcusable actions of the irresponsible.
The maps of the six Voice and Sight control areas in North Mesa Park (Femaville), East Park, Urban Park, Western Area Park, Rover Park, and Community Park are available from the KanDu Center.
You can read the complete draft ordinance and get more information here:
County Website for the Animal Ordinance
You should read the Report on the Task Force Findings here: An Updated Report on the Ordinance to help understand some of the changes.
February 11, 2006
The Animal Control Draft Ordinance that the Animal Control Task Force spent a year working on has been posted on the County website. There are also links to it as well as to the original report I wrote explaining the reasoning behind the changes when the ACTF turned their recommendations over to council in Feb 2004 at the bottom of this page.
The Council has placed this item on their work session agenda for Feb. 14, 2006 in White Rock Town Hall at 7 p.m.. Council will discuss the ordinance with Staff and the Task Force, and then is expected to give Staff direction on how to proceed with language for the final ordinance.
The ordinance that was presented to Council by the Animal Task Force in February 2004 has been reviewed by staff from Parks, Open Space, and the Animal Control divisions. It has also been reviewed by Police Chief Wayne Torpy and County Attorney Peter Dwyer.
The Police Chief and Attorney met with the Task Force to review comments and solicit feedback on Sept. 19, 2005. The Police Department has been working with the Attorney's office to incorporate input from that meeting into the ordinance. The Attorney, Parks Manager, and Police Chief met with the Parks and Recreation Board in November about the ordinance, specifically as it applied to leash laws and parks. The Board took no action in that meeting after lengthy discussion and public input.
That said, I have reviewed the document thoroughly against what the Task Force originally recommended. There are some inconsistencies with the ACTF recommendations that need correcting. Whether those inconsistencies were simple oversights or something else I do not know. But, I will definitely bring them up at council on the 14th.
Truthfully, while there are some changes, a good portion has not changed from the original code. Ordinances were clarified, collected from being scattered throughout various locations in the complete LA County code. Some ordinances were reworded for easier understanding and definitions were clarified.
Examples of ordinances we didn't change, but did collect from another part of the county code and reword specifically for animals was the pooper scooper section. We cleared up the voice control definition, what it means and where exactly voice control is legal and so on. All-in-all his is a pretty good ordinance, whether or not the oversights get put in place. We have places in our parks and open space where people may legally play/exercise/train their animals off-lead.
So what is needed to get this in place? We need your physical presence at the Feb 14 council work session in WR at 7:00 pm. If you like the ordinance in all or part, we need you there, don't think that this will go unchallenged by those who want ridiculously restrictive animal control laws especially with regards to dogs. Opposers will be there enmasse to try to convince council that this ordinance is all wrong and it needs to go back to the drawing board. Bodies count here. If it is at all possible for you to attend this meeting is it vitally important that you are there.
What happens next if we get Council to recommend the official drafting of this document?
The next step after the Feb. 14 meeting would be to take the ordinance to Council for formal introduction, which then involves a public hearing on the ordinance. You will be needed again for that process, but first we need to get this recommended for drafting.
Please do attend, but if you cannot, please write the councilors. council@lac.losalamos.nm.us
AnimalControlOrdinanceDraft.doc
AnimalControlOrdinanceDraft.pdf
A Report on the Task Force Findings.doc
Thank you,
LASWDA
January 11, 2006
Voice Control Areas in Parks and Dog Parks
Los Alamos County Dogs has been working closely with Dick McIntyre to give companion dog owners and dog trainers places to be able to train, play with and exercise their dogs.
Parks has been very responsive to LASWDA and the voice of Los Alamos County residents. We now have in the planning stages voice control training areas in five of our County parks and in the old Femaville area. Those areas should be signed over the next few months. The voice control area in East Park has been the first to be signed. The parks that should be receiving voice control areas are: East, Urban, Community, Rover, Western, and the East side of Femaville.
In addition, a dog park has been planned to be put in East Park. This dog park will be placed at the rear of the park. Fencing should be starting to go up in the near future and if all goes well this the East Park Dog Park could be finished by summer.
There are further plans to put another dog park in the natural area in the Western Area Park.
LASWDA was instrumental in getting the small dog park in Overlook built.
LASWDA members helped to draft the Animal Conrol Ordiances that the Council is considering now.
This website last updated: May 10th, 2006
Questions or comments email: LASWDA