|
Battery Kemble is a beautiful national park situated between MacArthur Boulevard, Foxhall Road, and Nebraska Avenue.
When snowfall allows, the hill on Battery Kemble is an amazing place for sledding and the park has attracted hundreds of families over the last two days looking to enjoy an activity that has become all-too-rare in DC. One thing Battery Kemble is not is a dog park. There is signage throughout the park requiring, under penalty of prosecution, that dogs be leashed and under the control of the owner. And yet there are unleashed dogs everywhere in Battery Kemble. Even with so many young children around, owners see fit to let their dogs roam free throughout this national park. We’re not just talking golden retrievers and schnauzers either, but also pit bulls and alsatians. Are dog owners by and large illiterate? Or do they just believe themselves to be exempt from federal laws? |
| You've just described that you are observing crimes in progress. Are you calling police each time to report the crimes? |
And get called a Karen by entitled rich folk? Sounds like fun. I think the park police are probably a little busy this week. Dog owners don’t need to take advantage of this, just like kids shouldn’t take advantage of a lack of MPD resources by shoplifting from CVS. |
| Serious question for you -- BK woods and paths are a lovely place to walk, but as for the giant hill/parking lot, are you really spending time just hanging there? While I know its not technically a dog park, it should be, its the perfect place to let dogs run and play -- and that's why people do it. |
| My large dog is leashed when we walk in the woods (and elsewhere) and we’ve had to quit walking in the beautiful woods at Battery Kemble because every other dog is unleashed. This could in theory be doable if the dogs were well trained and the owners considerate enough to leash or otherwise control their dogs when passing us, but that is apparently way too much to ask of the people in Palisades. So I’m expected to control my dog and also theirs. One unleashed dog jumped my leashed dog (not a playful move, believe me) and when my dog snarled back, the owner yelled at me to control my dog. A whole lot of entitlement. |
| Another case of laws on the books that don’t get enforced. Whats the point of having them at all. |
The police can't be everywhere at all hours of the day, so there is a convenient and easy-to-remember phone number that was invented so that people can call in to report crimes so that the police can then come out and enforce the law. It's just that OP is apparently too scared to call and has already made the decision that this should not be a priority for the police. If it were me, I'd call and let the police decide how to use their resources, rather than complaining on an anonymous message board which will accomplish nothing. |
Fair question. I wouldn’t care at all if NPS created a large and fenced dog park that covered half of that hill. That would be a decent compromise. But others - especially those with young kids - should be able to enjoy the hill as well without needing to fend off hyperactive pooches who’ve never encountered a human they didn’t want to perform an olafactorial examination of. Right now it’s a full-on free for all. |
| When actual crime in DC is eliminated, then we can look into unleashed dogs. |
| OP time to start performing citizen’s arrests. |
What does posting on this board ever accomplish? It’s a place to vent and sling insults. That’s about as productive as it gets. |
“Please pay no attention to my law-breaking behavior, but feel free to focus on everyone else’s.” The jurisdiction of the Park Police is limited to the national parks and does not encompass crimes committed across the city. |
| What I don't understand is why they don't just fine people for unleashed dogs like crazy. They could raise soon much money for the city |
I don’t like to speculate but your tone suggests that you’re among those who would include among “actual crime in DC” behaviors such as shoplifting from CVS, not putting a tag on a moped, jumping turnstiles at Metro stations, and riding a dirt bike or ATV through city streets. Let’s face it, which misdemeanors and civil infractions are deemed to be worth policing has little to do with the associated risk of harm to the general public and much more to do with the demographics of the perpetrators. |
| I find it quite annoying too. You really have to be on the lookout for dog poop when picnicking there or walking the hill with kids. |