KHS may ban unfixed dogs at park

LIHUE — The Kauai Humane Society may ban unfixed dogs from Freddie’s Dog Park.

“We (currently) don’t require that they be spayed and neutered,” KHS Executive Director Penny Cistaro said. “It is a discussion that we are having, but we have not reached a decision yet.”

If the change is made, Freddie’s would be the first of Kauai’s three off-leash dog parks to implement such a rule. And while some support the change, others believe it would be unfair and that the problem is not the dogs but irresponsible owners.

Elizabeth Freitas, president of the KHS Board of Directors, said an initial discussion on the issue occurred during the board’s regular meeting Tuesday. While she could not speak for other board members, Freitas said the park has always strived to be all-inclusive.

“I have trouble with anything that doesn’t allow a certain population just because,” she said.

Westside resident Frances MacPherson, however, is all for it.

“I believe that it would be a wise policy,” she said of keeping out intact canines.

MacPherson was visiting the dog park April 7 when she says an un-neutered male bull terrier started aggressively trying to mount her dog, a neutered male. When she went to the KHS office to report the aggressive behavior, she claims an employee told her they do not police the park and that she should talk to the bull terrier’s owner herself. When MacPherson walked back into the park to confront the owner, the bull terrier jumped up and bit her on the arm.

Fortunately, she said the injury wasn’t bad, and after receiving first aid by KHS staff she drove herself to the hospital for treatment and a tetanus shot.

MacPherson’s friend, Muriel Ganzer, loves KHS, but views the situation at the park as vulnerable. To not have strict rules prohibiting unfixed dogs, she said, is an accident waiting to happen — one that could prove costly with lawsuits or someone, perhaps a child, getting hurt.

“If a dog isn’t spayed or neutered, you’re dealing with a different type of animal,” Ganzer said. “They ought to have made this ruling a long time ago.”

Freddie’s is a members-only dog park located adjacent to the KHS building and divided into two areas — one for smaller dogs, the other for those 30 pounds and heavier. Cistaro pointed out that while the park does permit unfixed dogs, rules include pet owners accepting full responsibility for themselves, their pets and their children. KHS also recommends that females in heat be left at home.

“At dog parks here, and pretty much everywhere, you assume all risk and all responsibilities,” Cistaro said. “The dog should be fully vaccinated. And if your dog is misbehaving or being a bully, you’re asked with common sense to leave or curtail the behavior.”

Overall, Freddie’s is a pretty incident-free park, according to Cistaro. However, she said it is unreasonable for people to expect perfection. And if something is brought to KHS’s attention, staff will address it.

“We do not have the resources to police the dog park,” she said. “And honestly, the patrons are very good at policing it themselves.”

Ridding dog parks of unfixed dogs is not a new idea. In fact, a quick Google search turns up several that have already implemented such a rule.

Take Godown Park in Worthington Ohio, for example, where dogs are required to be “licensed, healthy, current on vaccinations and spayed/neutered.”

“In addition to accidental puppies, intact males can experience social problems,” the park writes in its explanation of the rule. “An unneutered dog’s high testosterone level can make him the target of harassment or aggression from other male dogs. Females in heat can inadvertently cause dogfights.”

Craig Nishimoto, a long-time veterinarian and owner of Paradise Animal Clinic in Kalaheo, said that while there is a slight increased chance of dog-to-dog aggression if they’re not neutered, a lot of it depends on the individual animal.

“We see a lot of neutered animals involved in a lot of bad dog fights,” he said. “I don’t think sterilization is the answer.”

Instead, he believes it is up to owners to take responsibility for their own pets.

Rory Enright, vice president of the Kauai North Shore Community Foundation, which maintains the North Shore Dog Park in Kalihiwai, agrees. While he is not totally opposed to such a ban, the rules adopted at the North Shore park — including no aggressive dogs or dogs in heat — have been adequate, he said.

“Dog owners need to be responsible. If you’ve got an aggressive dog, they don’t belong in a dog park.”

Kauai’s only other dog park, a county-owned facility in Wailua Homesteads, also allows un-spayed and un-neutered dogs.

Tommy Tokuda, a Wailua resident who helped spearhead efforts for the park, said a ban at that location wouldn’t make sense.

“I don’t know how you would enforce a rule like that in a public park,” he said. “I don’t see how that would work.”

Freitas said the KHS board will continue its discussion and looking into different options. However, she said it is not a black-and-white issue.

Encouraging people to spay and neuter their animals is one thing, Freitas said. Requiring them to do so is something else.

“A total ban, for anything, would be real hard to swallow on Kauai.”