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www.off-leash.org
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People for Off-Leash Recreation (POLR) is an organization of dog owners devoted to the concept that proper socialization, training and adequate exercise is essential for the well being of our dogs. We seek to expand opportunities for off-leash activities in our local communities and preserve and enhance the existing Off-Leash Areas (OLAs). We are working with dog owners, city officials and parks departments to develop off-leash access for responsible dog owners. As available open space is rapidly diminishing, and public land is under pressure from many user groups seeking sole access, we strive to represent dog owners who need places to adequately exercise their dogs. We advocate responsible dog ownership by promoting training, socialization and exercise of dogs with particular attention to mitigating the impacts our dogs may have on the environment and individuals who are not comfortable in their presence.
POLR supports a multifaceted approach to meeting the needs of dog owners which encompasses a variety of ways to provide opportunities for off-leash activity ranging from dedicated, fenced Off-Leash Areas, to shared usage of parks, beaches or trails based on permitting off-leash activity during certain seasons or at certain times of day.
Environmental sustainability of any Off-Leash situation is dependent on proper design, maintenance, management and education of dog owners on the “best practices” . We continue to research these factors on both the national and local levels. It appears that there is no single “best design” or “best maintenance” strategy. Aspects of design, maintenance, and management must be tailored to fit the ecology and topography of the site and will be highly influenced by its size and the type of usage. Off-Leash Area design is new concept in the landscape architecture of parks, and we strive to bring end user input into the process.
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