Dogs on Trails Task Force

Dogs on Trails Taskforce

In October of 2003, the CBJ set up a taskforce on addressing issues with dogs on trails. Several members of the Capital Kennel Club of Juneau have been attending the meetings and Sue McGregor is acting as the club's representative.

Recently, the task force created three subcommittees to address the various issues; dog parks and off-leash areas (chaired by Sue McGregor), dog-related wildlife issues (chaired by Karla Hart), and education (chaired by Chava Lee). These subcommittees are hoping to have recommendations in place by March 2004.

Upcoming meetings:

Monday February 2: Dogs on Trails Task Force 12:15PM, Downtown library. This meeting will likely involve reports from the three subcommittees that have formed and that have been meeting separately (Trails, Wildlife & Education). There will be opportunities for public comment before and after the meeting
Tuesday February 10: Trails Subcommittee Meeting 5PM, Valley library. This is the subcommittee of the Dogs on Trails Task Force that has been meeting to make recommendations about dogs on Juneau's trails and parks. Anyone can participate. We are about 2/3 of the way through all the different areas, and hope to finish up at this meeting. We will be discussing the Dike Trail and others further out the road, so if you use these trails and would like to add your input, please come.

To find out more about the other subcommittee meetings, minutes of previous meetings, or dates for future meetings of the Task Force, please see the CBJ Parks and Recreation website.

The Grateful Dogs - a dog owner's advocacy group

In light of the increasing controversy over the dogs on trails issue, several CKCOJ members and other members of the public have formed a good dog walkers advocacy group - The Grateful Dogs of Juneau.

This group hopes to promote public awareness of what it means to be a canine good citizen and responsible dog owner on Juneau trails in a variety of manners.

We are hoping to encourage ALL members of the Juneau dog community to join this group, to advocate for our rights as dog owners to responsibly use and enjoy Juneau's public parks, beaches, paths, trails, etc. All dog folks are welcome and encouraged to attend! Invite your friends who are not CKCOJ members too!

As a community service, The Grateful Dogs will be scooping poop on the Airport Dike Trail on the first Saturday of every month. The next poop scoop will be Saturday, March 13 at 2PM. If you can participate, please bring a bucket or large bag, a shovel or other poop scooper, gloves if you want them, and your good cheer. Dogs optional!

The next meeting of the Grateful Dogs will be Saturday March 27, 1:30pm, Douglas Library.

For further information or to become a member, check out their website.

More information on the issues

Article on The Grateful Dogs group
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020304/loc_gratefuldog.shtml

Public opinions on cleaning up after your dog
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020304/let_doggiedoo.shtml

Encouraging responsible dog walkers (12/19/03)
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/121903/loc_kennel.shtml

Article on Subcommittees (12/16/03)
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/121603/loc_dog.shtml