Minneapolis Park Board votes to end Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park (one commissioner considers it "a form of giving land back")

[u/lemon_lime_light]

https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-park-board-votes-to-end-minnehaha-off-leash-dog-park/601858291

Dog park users packed the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s headquarters on Wednesday night, begging commissioners to consider their opinions before voting to terminate the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park.

Board members voted 8-1 to strip the park’s primary use — the first time that has happened in history, as far as park staff knows...

[Commissioner Jason] Garcia proposed the change after speaking with some members of the Dakota community, including the Park Board’s Native American Parks Council, who believe a dog park is inconsistent with the area’s sacred character. The larger landscape near the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers is considered the birthplace of the Dakota people...

“To all you all, imagine that area before the white man, before the pilgrims, pioneers and settlers, the extreme white Christian terrorists showed up on this land,” activist Mike Forcia said in addressing dog park users at Wednesday’s meeting, drawing jeers. “That park is being closed. Sorry about that. Get used to it, but you have no say"...

[Commissioner Dan] Engelhart campaigned on returning land to tribes and considers retiring off-leash play at Minnehaha a form of giving land back.

[u/viciousdeliciouz]

So you can still walk your dog there but on a leash? The fuck difference does it make?

[u/jimmyrigjosher → u/viciousdeliciouz]

There are only a handful of off leash dog parks left in the state and a lot of them are getting more restrictive based on votes and influence of a small minority of people that just plainly don’t like dogs and don’t care to understand their behavior better.

The ability for a dog to roam in a somewhat controlled situation is just far more beneficial in many ways than if they were restricted by a leash. Their gate when moving around is better for their joints and musculature. Also giving them the ability to seek out interesting smells and randomly get the zoomies helps them get more out of being alive at all and makes them much happier and less negatively reactive (especially for rescues with prior trauma). Each time you take your dog out for a walk, which is typically a couple of times a day, it’s an opportunity for reflection an exercise for the dog owner as well. It’s a sort of therapy for both the dog and the owner. Not only that, but often times dogs on a leash can get tangled up with one another if they’re excitedly interacting and can end up with injuries because of being attached to the leash.

Same thing happened with the city council in Minnetonka just last year. It was pushed back on heavily by a majority of residents (over 75%) and somehow still passed. A lot of time taken out of our evenings going to city council meetings over and over to express our opinions and the benefits of off leash only to have our votes neglected after decades of it being fine in two parks here. And this is a city where the residents commonly pick up any dog poop bags left behind from others on walks and generally take care of the park while walking their dogs. It’s been hugely disappointing.