Photograph by George Sakkestad
This dog is one of several who play with their owners on the playground at Blue Hills School after school hours.
Dogs, owners love Blue Hills School
Saratoga's dogs get no respect
By Kate Carter
Every dog may have its day, but in Saratoga they're still waiting for the day they can run in the wide open without the constraint of a leash.
Legally, that is. Some dog owners are setting their dogs free at Blue Hills Elementary School, a place where they aren't supposed to bring dogs at all--on leash or off.
Principal Randy Karel said she hasn't seen too many dogs on campus, as they usually come in the evenings after school has let out. However, she has received complaints from parents who see the dogs or whose children may step in what they've left behind.
So throughout the school year Karel has sent notes home to parents reminding them that animals of any kind, as well as bicycles, skateboards and skates, are prohibited from school campuses, whether or not children are present, according to the state's penal and education codes. She also encourages anyone who sees people bringing dogs on campus to tell them that such behavior isn't allowed or even to call the police, she said.
"When we notice it, we go out there and talk to the people," Karel said, adding that school personnel point out the signs on campus that state the animal rule and other prohibitions. "We do the best we can to monitor it when we see it happen."
However, Blue Hills has a large field that seems just made for dogs to go bounding through. Also, the school is located in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood with just average-sized backyards--the school would make an ideal destination for an afternoon dog-walk.
But the real problem, according to Blue Hills parent Maureen Destin, is that there are no public places in Saratoga for people to let their dogs off leash.
"To me, public schools are not the place for dogs," she said. "There's no real place for the dogs to go. The real question is, 'What does Saratoga want to do?' "
The answer, said Cary Bloomquist, the city's staff liaison to the parks and recreation commission, is not to use its limited open park space for dog runs.
"Dogs in all city parks have to be on a leash," he said. "The little bit of parkland we have, we want to use it for multiple purposes."
One obvious solution to the dog problem at Blue Hills would be to dedicate part of the future Azule Park adjacent to the school as a space for dogs. That was something the commission considered in its long process of planning the park, Bloomquist said. But results of a community survey showed it to be an unpopular feature, he said, and so it wasn't included in plans expected to be finalized by the city council next month.
Grace Yeh, who lives near Blue Hills, said she walks her small dog past the school almost every day, and often sees people let their dogs off leashes at the school. She occasionally does so, as well, because she didn't realize that it wasn't allowed. She figures her dog is too small to scare anyone and she always cleans up after it. In addition, she isn't aware of any nearby place meant for dogs; a family member told her of a dog park in Fremont, but she felt that was too far to go.
Another dog owner, who asked to remain anonymous, also walks his large dog on a leash through the school's campus. He said he sees people let their dogs off leash, but only in the evenings between 7 and 8 p.m., when children aren't at school. He said he doesn't think that should be a problem.
But it is a problem, Karel said, because it's just not healthy for dogs to play where children do, too--where the dogs' behavior may not be well-monitored and the remains they leave behind may not be removed. She acknowledged that people like to use the field after hours as a place to be outside and use as a community space, which she says is fine as long as they abide by the rules and remember that it is a school, too.
Bloomquist said that he didn't know where the nearest dog park is, but leashed dogs are still allowed at city parks. He said the city is considering installing dispensers of plastic bags to pick up dog droppings, but that won't happen until it finds the money to do so, which won't be soon.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
