On Oct 19th at the regular City Council meeting, the Council will be voting on which sites to explore building a dog park for our furry friends and our community. Come and speak up for those who can only bark!

The hard work of our volunteer and supporters is paying off.  After lingering on the back-burner, in a closet, in the basement, under at tarp, in City Hall for TWELVE YEARS, a dog park for Martinez is finally coming before the Council.  Thanks to Councilmember Farias for pushing the item and getting us on the agenda.

Save the date…Dog park site vote
10/19/16 at 7:00 pm
City Hall 525 Henrietta St., Martinez

We prefer a site within town, for example near the Marina or an existing City park. Come speak up and let’s get a dog park in Martinez! Join us in asking the Martinez City Council to select an off-leash dog park in the Downtown area. Follow us on Facebook for the latest announcements, meetings, and updates for our cause.

The Martinez Dog Park Group is an ad hoc group of citizens that are working together to help Martinez establish a place for humans and canines to socialize and play freely. We actively support the project, and represent the thousands of dogs and their families in Martinez who would benefit from a designated place to run and socialize. A fenced, secure, maintained dog recreation area will provide a safe place for dog owners to play with their dogs off-leash. City parks are often busy and surrounded by busy streets, which make them not ideal for dog play. Open spaces like Briones are too wild and boundless for many dogs to roam safely. The solution is for a fenced location within Martinez that specifically accommodates dogs and their owners.

Martinez Dog Park Group Mission:
“To establish a fenced-in, off-leash dog park where well-behaved canine citizens can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property or wildlife. To develop a beautiful, well maintained space open to all dog lovers and friends who are willing to uphold the park’s rules and restrictions. To view this park as a community project, in partnership with the City of Martinez, designed to satisfy the needs of dog-owners and non–dog owners alike.”

The PROs of a Downtown Dog Park:
– Bring hundreds of people a week to downtown Martinez
– Increase downtown and city-wide commerce
– Reduce crime and loitering;
– Improve property values in the community
– Allows dogs to exercise and socialize safely.
– Promotes responsible dog ownership
– Provides an outlet for dog owners to socialize
– Promotes health and safety by giving dogs a designated play spot

The upsides for a downtown or Marina dog park benefit more than just the thousands of dog owners in Martinez. A dog park will draw people and their spending money downtown. It will discourage crime and vagrancy in the area. It will increase property values in the community. And most importantly, it will give dogs a safe place to run free in a setting made for them. Consider the park an investment in the community that will pay off in health and happiness for all.