Barkleyville Dog Park- Safety of City Park Questioned

Photo Credit and Park Information

Barkleyville Dog Park is popular and successful because it is the ONLY dog park of quality located in the city of Stockton. The city park is located at 5505 Feather River Drive and on any given evening, if you show up around 6:30 PM you will see an abundance of caring, involved dog owners and their pets enjoying the many amenities of the park, which include:

• Four Acres
• Agility Course
• Separated Large Dog (>20 lb) and Small Dog (<20 lb) Play Areas
• Benches
• Walking Paths

As the most popular dog area in Stockton, and one of only three official Dog Parks recognized my the City of Stockton  it is frustrating, knowing that the City of Stockton takes no action to protect its citizens or their beloved pets. Since the start of the year, at least three car accidents have taken place in front of the dog park and endangered the lives of people and animals alike. Please continue reading for additional information:

Here are some photos depicting Barkleyville Dog Park:

As you can see, there are NO BARRIERS preventing cars from leaving the roadway and crashing into the park. As a matter of fact, on Supper Bowl Sunday one vehicle ended up in the park upside down. Luckily no dogs or dog owners were in the small dog area at the time, otherwise they easily could have ended up dead. These two pictures depict the damage created by these accidents over the past winter. Not only has the City of Stockton failed to fix the fence, but they have also failed to provided barriers to protect the people and animals inside of the park.

The small dog area is not the only area that endangers the lives of people and dogs. As you can see in this picture, it would be very easy for a vehicle to leave the roadway and plow into the large dog area as well.

The situation at Barkleyville Dog Park is dangerous and it is the responsibility of the City of Stockton to remedy it. The location of the park is a danger to people and dogs alike. I highly suggest the implementation of an aesthetically pleasing concrete barrier to protect lives.

Photo Credit & Additional Information

If measures of this are deemed to be insufficient then there are other barriers that could be utilized. The fact of the matter is, there is only one worthwhile dog park within the City of Stockton that actually sees regular use. It is important to community members for Barkleyville Dog Park to evolve into a safe place to gather, and it is the responsibility of Stockton City Council Members to provide that factor of safety. The fact that no barriers were provided during the park's initial design is a critical design flaw and demonstrates yet another failing of the Stockton City Council.