I just learned that the Hermon Dog Park has $8,000 to spend on a public art project. They have put out a call for entries and the deadline for artists to submit their proposals is October 30. You can find more info here.
I have a particular interest in this project since this is “my” dog park, in the sense that it’s the one I take my dog to most often. I am not sure what can be done with $8,000, but I can’t wait to see what some creative person comes up with.
We’ve been discussing dog parks in some of my classes recently and as a frequent user, I have a lot of my own opinions. One issue is what to use on the ground. Grass looks nice (for a while) and the dogs like it, but they’re easy to please. I think the grass is more for the people because we relate to it better than dirt. This is why I don’t like grass at the dog park: it doesn’t last and starts to look terrible, it needs maintenance and irrigation (something not likely to continue in Southern CA), it gets muddy in the parts where it’s trampled down, it’s harder to see and pick up the poo so I think people are less likely to be conscientious about cleaning up after their pets. I prefer dirt or decomposed granite, even though it’s not perfect. It doesn’t need irrigation and it’s easier to see what needs to be picked up (and it really does need to be picked up, come on!). On the downside, it is dusty and it also gets muddy when it rains (which is infrequent). Trees are important (in general, really) and it’s nice to have a place to sit. The dogs seem just as happy with this option.
Here’s a picture of Jackson at the Hermon Dog Park. If you suspect that this post was merely an excuse to post a cute picture of my dog, you might be right.
Jackson at Hermon Dog Park
