Currently, the Town of Corte Madera is reviewing dog policy in light of organized, persistent, and unfair complaints. We think it's important that the town hears other views and that it consider the needs of the many responsible dog owners and well-behaved dogs as it adopts and adjusts policies. This

Organized And Unfair Complaints
A friend of mine forwarded pictures of a flyer which have been distributed to park neighbors. Two thirds of the pictures in the flyer are of me and my dog behaving lawfully and responsibly and, given that there are some misleading, fabricated, or grossly exaggerated accounts of problems with dogs in the park, I think that it's fair and important for me to address some of the flyer's statements directly.
Here are images of the flyer:

Misleading Claims

1. Off Leash dogs present a hazard to humans and on leash dogs This is a very broad statement that just doesn't fit my experience at all. I was letting my dog off leash for several months during and just before the pandemic and I was joined by dozens of dogs and owners during the pandemic. I've also seen many dozens of owners let their dogs off leash not only without incident, but with great enjoyment shared by others in the park who enjoyed seeing dogs exercising and being happy and well controlled. I have never seen a human or on-leash dog get bitten or even be at serious risk of being bitten by a dog off leash in the Town Park (inside the new dog park is another matter and I've seen several dog fights and bitings of dogs and people already). I have seen dogs off leash confront people with and without dogs in a manner that caused them enough concern to stop and pay attention to the confronting dog - I agree this is unacceptable, but it should be dealt with on a case by case basis and it is grossly unfair to punish all the responsible dog owners and well-behaved dogs for the transgressions of very few who are irresponsible and not well-behaved.
   
   I ask the town to simply check their statistics. With at least several dozen off-leash dogs in the park on an average daily basis, how many off leash dog attacks have occurred?
   
   One complainer seemingly off-handedly claimed in a recent meeting that when he had his back fence gate open an off leash dog entered his yard and pinned his young son against his house. Based upon a verbal encounter I had with this person (who was harassing me and some children as my dog was playing lawfully and fully supervised in the creek), I sincerely doubt this episode occurred as stated and the town should request the name and number of the dog owner or the police report for such a serious incident rather than just taking such informal statements as fact in their considerations.
2. Dogs Off Leash are noisy for park neighbors I can certainly understand this complaint and perhaps there should be some more defined limits for off-leash hours, however, I too live right next to the park and I more often hear people yelling while working out, or kids going to school in the morning hours.
3. Dog owners are not cleaning up after their off-leash dogs All dog owners with an off-leash dogs that I have encountered are very responsible and I'm sure that the owner of the defecating dog whose picture is shared cleaned up after her dog in that instance. There have been rare occasions when, in spite of best efforts, dog poop is not found by the owner, the efforts to find the poop are sincere and often very extensive and I've seen owners help each other look for poop that is difficult to find. Just after the stay-at-home was lifted I did notice and resent a dramatic increase in dog poop - but this was on the paths and the margins of the fields near the paths and I, again, never have seen a dog owner not clean up after their off-leash dog and I attribute most of the irresponsibility to on-leash dogs because of the locations and timing. I resented cleaning up so much extra poop, but fortunately the problem abated after a week and the fields have once again been very clean. It's very rare for me to encounter dog poop in the open fields and my family and I use those fields for relaxing and recreation on a regular basis. A bigger "poop problem" exists with the geese on the grass and paved areas of the park and several of us dog owners that have let our dogs off leash have encouraged our dogs to chase geese off these areas with great effect. I have seen how bad the goose poop problem can be on many occaisons and it can be hard to navigate even the paved paths at times without stepping in goose poop. The town knows this problem well and it's important to keep this benefit of dogs in the park in mind.
4. Dogs are molesting wildlife in the creek This simply does not fit the vast majority of my experience. My dog (again pictured several times in the flyer) does not bark, does not chase ducks, and does not disturb other wildlife or habitat. I have my dog under voice control, and I also have an electronic collar which allows me literal push-button control of her behavior if I want. Except for when my dog chases geese (which I encourage while making sure she does not come even close to catching any by making noise), there is absolutely no harm or distress caused to animals by my dog. There are some dogs that like to chase squirrels and swallows and the squirrels and swallows seem to enjoy teasing them for the most part. I am sure that most dog owners would share the complainers' concerns about wildlife and would have their dogs act responsibly. My dog and I have encountered families of deer on our way to and from the school on several occasions without any incident because I am able to control her with voice (and electronic collar if needed).
   
   Some complaining residents have said that they see fewer ducks now than before and they speculate that it's because of off leash dogs. The truth is that the duck nesting season is over and their nesting areas have been intentionally mowed down by the park.
5. Loopholes and the danger of long leashes This is absurd. I am the long-leash user in the 4 pictures of me with my dog swimming in the creek on a long leash. I also let my dog run in the open field to chase a ball. However, I only let out enough leash that is safe (i.e. when nobody who might be bothered is within reach of my dog). Sometimes my 100 foot leash is only 6 feet if that's what's appropriate. The truth is that the complainer doesn't want any dogs in the water near his house and he'd rather the public space be treated as an extension of his private backyard. A long leash allows my dog to swim easily, but even a short leash is not adequate for the complainer's goals, so he's asking the town, and encouraging his neighbors to ask the town, to not allow dogs in the creek based upon grossly exaggerated claims of concern and danger. The complainer even cites the ordinance he disregards willfully on his side of the creek and if the laws are strictly enforced, they should be enforced on both sides of the creek where the laws apply.

The main complainer is a hypocrite and harasser
Over the past many months, I have had several verbal encounters with the main accuser and his actions and statements have been hypocritical and abusive in many regards.

For example, while I and other off-leash dog owners kept our dogs away from the creek during the duck nesting season after the complainer claimed concern for nesting ducks, I observed him walking his dog off leash and playing corn-hole and socializing one evening with his neighbor (who's also participated in complaining) right beside the creek. When I discussed this with the complainer, he said "that's on THIS side!". The complainer knows full-well that the exact same signs and ordinances are posted on his side of the creek and the ducks and wildlife would be equally affected.

Another example is when the complainer offered to not call the police if I would take my off leash activity to the other side of the park. This belies his claims of concern for the dangers and damages of off leash dogs. I refused to take my dog to a more heavily trafficked part of the park for her off leash activity and the complainer has video recorded and photographed me and my dog and called the police and complained to the town incessantly since.

I too live right next to the school and park and I get more noise from them at my house than he does from his (which is protected by a berm from much of the noise). The complainer enjoys an unobstructed view of Mt. Tam and he has the landscape beyond his fence and property cared for by the town maintenance team. He also seems to think he's entitled to treat the public space behind his house as if it were his own and he's fine harassing responsible dog owners and well behaved dogs in his efforts to do so.

The benefits of allowing dogs off leash
During the stay-at-home period of the pandemic, many dogs and owners gathered on the soccer field and allowed their dogs off leash during morning and evening hours. Many friendships were made between dogs and people. Dogs got plenty of exercise and, more importantly, they learned to socialize without the constraints of leashes and fences. Owners noticed their dogs becoming more reponsible, more responsive to voice commands, more comfortable with other dogs and owners, and much happier.

Owners in our group worked hard to keep an eye on their dogs to make sure poop was cleaned up and their dog was getting along fine. Rarely an owner would put their dog on leash and leave if their dog became agitated. No people or dogs were seriously threatened, though upon occasion a dog or two would become distracted by a passing dog or human, a model plane, a squirrel, or a swallow and would try to approach them. Mostly, the dogs would just play with each other, run around, and wrestle and learn to behave from other dogs who were setting a good example. Some owners watched their dogs transform dramatically from timid and fearful to outgoingly friendly and playful. I thing one man started to tear up as he saw his dog actually come over to be pet by someone else once let off leash and encouraged. We never had a problem when we practiced "Large Field Socialization".

Some of us worked on getting our dogs to chase geese off the fields. We know how messy the fields and paths get when the geese are allowed to roam as they want. No goose was ever caught or harmed by one of our dogs and the fields were kept clean and quiet and not covered in goose poop. In years past, the town paid people to try to keep geese off the grass. There were even vests given to some dog owners that allowed their dogs to be off leash when chasing geese. Since leash laws have been more strictly enforced, geese have been more prevalent and making increasing messes. Some of us still do try to get our dogs to scare them away, but it's much harder to do so, even with my long leash, than if they could be off leash and so they are chased very infrequently now.

During our informal off leash gatherings, passersby would often smile and wave and seem to be as delighted as the dogs and owners themselves that there was so much unbridled fun being had by the dogs that were generally very well controlled by their owners and kept a good distance from any trouble. Dogs are like children in that they are somewhat a reflection of their owners/parents and I have been heartened to see and meet so many great dogs and owners and that is why I feel compelled to try to balance the conversation regarding off leash dogs and dog laws and enforcement in the town park.

A Hidden Agenda
Thinking back over my interactions with the main complainer, it has become apparent that his real agenda is to reduce or remove public access to the public easement (drainage canal and public path) behind his house so he can enjoy the public space as an extension of his backyard. It is the only way I can explain the hypocrisy, threats, fabrications, accusations, harassment, vindictiveness, and abuse of public resources that he has demonstrated over the past many months. He has claimed to police that the easement is his private property upon which my dog trespassed (he has no more right to use the public space than I do legally). He has planted not just landscaping plants, but vegetables in the public space. Recently I have heard of some discussion of fencing off the south end of the canal on his side - this would further limit public access to a public place and would very wrongly reward him for his abusive lies and behavior.
Currently, if one wants to circumnavigate the park and school during school hours, one is not allowed to cross school property without school business and so the only option is to go along the east side of the canal behind the complainer's property. There is a fence that has been alternately closed in a jury-rigged fashion (by residents or the town?) and re-opened (by pedestrians?) and currently one has to climb through a section of fence that is cut and pulled open. Instead of closing off the east side path further, I believe that the north side should have a gate added with a high latch that only adults can reach (for child safety), that allows members of the public to properly access the public path and space that is maintained by the town (it even has dog cleanup bags and a sign regarding the leash law , which the complainer thinks should not apply to him, on the south side).
The town should not be rewarding the complainer's insincere complaints and bad behavior, and instead should be reminding him that he chose to live next to a public easement and he should act accordingly and not harass or bother other citizens who are enjoying it.

Summary and Proposed Solution
The complainer seems to like to claim that he is "a dog lover", but in my view a dog lover would not seek to harm all dogs and owners by grossly mischaracterizing dog and owner behavior. Life is not easy these days for many people, and with more dogs and dog owners in Corte Madera than ever before, it seems reasonable to hope that the town will take a more objective view of dog-related problems than the one offered by the complainer and his organized supporters (some of whom seem to be just making up lies to further their agenda).

I think the town should not be rewarding the complainer's insincere complaints and abusive behavior. Instead, it should be reminding him that he chose to live next to a public easement that has existed since the time when his house was built in the 1950s and he should act accordingly and not harass or bother other citizens who are the public space. The town should serve the greater needs of the very many responsible dog owners, including many new ones, and not allow this complainer and his few supporters to negatively affect the lives of so many other responsible, truly dog-loving citizens.

I ask that the Town of Corte Madera consider the complaints in fair consideration of facts and circumstances and not take the complainers' bogus claims as truth. The town should consider the larger and mostly silent majority of responsible dog owners and explore other, more fair, more respectful, and more effective ways to address the very few legitimate dog problems in the park. Furthermore, instead of rewarding the complainer with more exclusive access to the public space behind his house, it should put a gate in the north fence so those members of the public who do use and enjoy the public space can do so more safely and without having to climb through or over a fence. I have plenty of ideas and some willingness to help directly in finding and implementing some good solutions to any legitimate dog problems.

A Bit About Me and My Family
I am John Davis. I am a neighbor of the park and school. I am a 49 year resident of Marin County and a 19 year resident of Corte Madera. My wife and I first met playing soccer in the Town Park nearly 30 years ago. I contribute to our community in many ways including having been a teacher and coach at many levels (I was the College of Marin Men's Soccer coach from 1995-1998) and doing some volunteer work at times. My wife also contributes to our community in many ways: she's coached the complainer's daughter, whom she loves, in soccer; she helped the school district research elementary school options and make a decision to open the Cove School as a separate elementary school rather than have the schools serve different grades, and she's done more volunteer work than I can hope to list or even keep track of. We are loving parents of 3 very responsible kids, and we are owners of a great now 14 month old dog. We are simply just one family of many good and responsible dog owners whose dogs should responsibly enjoy more freedoms rather than suffering greater restrictions. In these crazy times, we'd rather be spending our resources on other matters, but the health and happiness of dogs and dog-owners is very important to us and our community.

If you support my suggestion that the Town Of Corte Madera leave the leash and park use laws as they are for now and explore more balanced, more creative, and possibly more effective methods for enforcing dog related laws and policies, please enter and submit your information below!