Towards a dog-friendly community

Editor’s note: The following letter was addressed to the Sonoma City Council.

Dear Council: On behalf of the Board of SVDOG I wish to express our appreciation for your courtesy and attention to all viewpoints expressed last evening on what was obviously a subject of some interest.  As always, our gratitude extends to Staff, and to Chief Sackett, whose work provided important factual context and focus for the discussion. 
 
Be assured that SVDOG is always mindful of the paramount role of responsible dog ownership, not only in continuing to avoid the sort of tragedy that occurred in Pacifica but in making Sonoma and the entire Valley a more dog-friendly place for every breed of fur-ball whose lives and spirits joyfully dominate and animate so many lives and households in our community. 
 
Collaborating with Pets Lifeline and other professionals, SVDOG believes it will be possible to develop useful, community-supported suggestions for making Sonoma decidedly more dog friendly.  That includes taking a look at the processes for preventing (and responding to) behavioral issues and incidents that, as with humans, can arise from time to time with some of our Best Friends.   A dog-friendly community is one that is open, accessible, for all our dogs, regardless of their breed, and for all our friends and neighbors, too, regardless of their temperament. 

We hope to begin that collaboration just as soon as our respective organizations get past the work involved, respectively, with Pets Lifeline’s upcoming “Black Cat Cabaret” on Sept. 16 and 17 and SVDOG’s “Walk With The Dogs” on October 2.  Preliminary research and thinking, however, will begin immediately.  A standing invitation exists for any member of Council or Staff who wishes to participate or provide input into that collaboration, and we will let you know when we will be meeting.   In the meantime, we offer the “wisdom” in the forwarded message below. 
 
Bob Edwards
SVDOG, Sonoma Valley Dog Owners and Guardians