If you Google “Dog park near me” and you live near Ward 27, “Park No 598” (The Park) will likely be your top result. Served by Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., the park is the preferred play area for an untold number of dogs in the neighborhood. If you go there and stay for fifteen minutes, at least one dog will come to play. More often than not, there will be more. Dog owners are The Park’s predominant patrons. They are there every day of the week, 365 days a year. Whenever there is daylight, there is at least one dog present. In the summer, there are days when as many as 20 dogs assemble to play. In the winter, dog owners are virtually the only residents who use The Park. These owners take pride in the care and supervision of their dogs when inside the large fenced-in area. They have formed a community within a community—one of The Park’s unintended but welcome by-products.  

     Located at 1514 N Larrabee St, Chicago, IL 60610, Park No 598 is a large, mostly enclosed, open field surrounded by an adjacent track. As a dog park, The Park is ideal. Owners who need to provide robust exercise and socialization for their dogs before heading to work prize the location. It is one of the few places in Chicago where an owner can throw a ball as far as her arm will allow and feel secure knowing her dog will fetch it within a safe space. Rescue dogs who feel anxious in city-provided cramped enclosures feel safe playing and running with other dogs within The Park’s ample space. There is truly no substitute.  

     Yet the Chicago Police Department has recently begun enforcing—for the first time in recent memory—a little-known city ordinance that has never been observed. Namely, that “No person shall bring or lead any dog in any park . . . unless it is held by a leash . . . except in park areas designated and posted by the City of Chicago or by the general superintendent of the Chicago Park District to be ‘dog friendly areas.’”[1] The Park, despite its use and the general understanding of the community, is not technically a “dog friendly area.”  

     The police have begun to threaten residents with citations should they let their dogs off-leash. Over the last three weeks, police have stationed a car there nearly every morning. As a result, The Park has gone virtually unused. So long as the police keep dog owners away, few other residents come to use the space.[2]

     Rather than allow the park to sit idle, we, the undersigned, write this petition to advocate that Park No 598 or a significant portion therein be designated a “dog friendly area.” 

     While we are willing to compromise on the specifics, we formally request recognition. 

     Dog lovers and members of the community have enjoyed The Park peacefully for years. The dog owners who bring their dogs to The Park, along with non-dog owners, would like to continue this enjoyment safely and without disruption.

 
[1]  Chicago Ordinance 10-36-020.
[2] It is ironic that, once the police leave, dog owners return as the afternoon crowd comes. It is worth repeating that, in cold weather, The Park’s only users are dog owners.