We were stopped early this morning while walking in the Woodlawn Park with our two dogs. The woman who stopped us claimed to be a long time board member of the neighborhood association, although she didn't bother to give us her name. She said she wanted to thank us for picking up after our dogs, but then she went on to criticise us for having our dogs off leash even though there was no one else in the park anywhere and we were in the process of playing fetch, a game that is rather difficult in our small backyard.

I pointed out that the park needed an off-leash area since half the people who are coming here are bringing their dogs, there is a very large mostly unused lawn, and it is the ONLY park in Woodlawn. The woman went on to tell me that she has lived in the neighborhood for 57 years, that these people who are bringing there dogs are newcomers in the neighborhood, and that she and the whole neighborhood association are dead set against a designated off-leash area. Apparently that means that newcomers in the neighborhood aren't allowed to use the park even though our property taxes are paying for it too.

We are both native Portlanders and have lived in the Woodlawn neighborhood for nearly four years now. Since moving here, we can't help but notice that there seems to be a discord between the “old timers” and the “newbies”. We understand that there can be a fear of newcomers raising property values and changing the neighborhood, but also with the newcomers comes more money, interest and renewed vitality, halting the decay and crime that has plagued the neighborhood in the past.

Newcomers are not a threat, we are not trying to push anyone out, and it is time to stop digging our heals in the mud about change and work together to make this neighborhood a truly inclusive place for everyone to live in. Woodlawn Park is a shared resource and must reflect the diverse uses of the entire community instead of catering to an elitist subset of the neighborhood. With that said, we would like to propose that a section of the Woodlawn Park be designated as an off-leash dog park, so that the many dog lovers in this community can have a place to play fetch without having to leave Woodlawn to use another more progressive community's park.

Hello Neighbors,

I was president of the neighborhood assoc. in 2004 and am still active on several fronts.  I apologize for the dealy in responding to your comments, but the master network that hosts this site has made some drastic changes recently and I am just getting caught up.

First, I have no idea who you encountered in the park that day, but she is absolutely wrong in stating that the "whole neighborhood association are dead set against a designated off-leash area."  I've never heard it even be an issue in any of the meetings!

Second, I'm surprised that since you are native Portlanders, you do not know that no neighborhood in Portland has more than one park, and also, about 4 years ago, the City made it illegal to walk dogs anywhere in the city or in parks without a leash, UNLESS you are in a designated off-leash area, which is always defined by a fence.  There are only about 3 or 4 off-leash fenced areas in the entire city (and it's not about "progressive" neighborhoods getting them).  You can go online to find those locations.

Third, I have dogs also, and have to take them in my car to a distant location for their semi-weekly runs.  It's a bit of a hassle, but that's the way it is right now.

Fourth, you can bring up this issue to the current WNA board at one of their monthly meetings or contact them at gowoodlawn.com (website).  You can also contact the Parks & Rec Dept. to ask how places get designated dog areas.

If you want to discuss further with me, email me at janclutter23@yahoo.com.

jan clutter

P.S.  Here is a link to parks with designated dog areas.  I guess I was wrong in stating that there are only 3 or 4 in the city.....I was just listening to other people I meet at Delta Park, where I take my dogs because it is so close!  I'm still not sure that all these have off-leash fenced areas, but they may accommodate your needs.

http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?ShowResults=yes&AmenityTypeID=14