Dog Park Visitors: A Tale of Caution Concerning Decomposed Granite

Yesterday was an emotionally exhausting and terrifying experience for both Wyatt and us. I would hate for any other dog owners to endure this type of distress and risk. Below is a copy of the email I sent to Sacramento's head of the Department of Parks and Recreation:

"Good Afternoon Mrs. Harder,

My name is Chelsea Ward, a longtime Sacramento resident, and owner of a 5

month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, named Wyatt. Like many puppies, Wyatt is a

curious and playful dog who absolutely loves the freedom and fun of playing

and exercising at Sacramento's Dog Parks. I first want to state that I'm

extremely grateful for the opportunity provided by the City of Sacramento to

enjoy and utilize such well kept dog parks. The parks are wonderful outlets

for apartment dwellers with pets who need secured, off-leash areas for their

four legged friends to explore.

My only criticism of Sacramento's dog parks is that I've noticed at several

parks (namely Sutter's Landing and Regency Community Park), in the

Sacramento Area, the park planners and developers implemented decomposed

granite on a vast portion of both the large and small dog areas. Yesterday,

Wyatt ate a large portion of said decomposed granite at Sutter's Landing

Large Dog Park. Throughout the remainder of the day, he vomited profusely,

had severe diarrhea, and was quickly becoming dehydrated. My fiancé and I

rushed him to Mueller Pet Hospital for an emergency examination. It was

determined via x-rays that he had ingested so much decomposed granite that

it caused an impaction in his small intestine. He fortunately escaped the

need for surgery, but did need to stay on IV fluids overnight. Wyatt also

had to be put on painkillers and was administered two enemas. Had we not

taken him to the hospital, he would have died from both the obstruction and

dehydration. As Wyatt's owner, I understand that it's my responsibility to

insure that he doesn't ingest harmful items. I did leave the dog park as

soon as I saw him eating the granite. However, the purpose of a dog park is

to provide dogs with a safe environment in which they can explore and

socialize with other dogs while off-leash. My proposal is to implement more

grassy surfaces in the Sacramento Dog Parks. While I fully understand that

budget restrictions are an ongoing issue, it would sadden me if any other

puppies or dogs incurred this type of medical distress. A number of dog

parks in Fair Oaks, CA have large grassy terrains established and well

maintained, including P.O.O.C.H Park of Citrus Heights located on Oak

Avenue, east of Fair Oaks. I would implore you and the department of parks

and recreation to investigate these terrains and modify Sacramento's dog

parks to incorporate more grass.

I do not intend to take legal action on this matter, as I'm partly

responsible for Wyatt ingesting the granite. However, in the future, you may

encounter pet owners and citizens whose dogs have endured similar medical

issues with the decomposed granite. It would be in the Department of Parks

and Recreation's best interest to implement some safety precautions to

better protect Sacramento resident's beloved pets.

I've also enclosed a link to the Sutter's Landing Yelp review page, in which

many reviewers expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of grass at the dog park:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sutters-landing-dog-park-sacramento

While I understand my request will need to be considered over a period of

time, a prompt acknowledgement or receipt of this email would assure me that

my concerns are being taken seriously.

Respectfully,

Chelsea Ward"

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mickey on February 19, 2012 at 2:26pm

Chelsea, thank goodness Wyatt is going to be OK. I posted this on the Sacramento corgi group. I know there a couple other corgis that go to Sutter's Landing. Your letter is excellent - this is fair warning for future parks and good information for all dog owners to keep an eye out for our furry friends while at the park. I'm glad that Wyatt is going to be OK and good for you for the quick action of taking him to the vet!!

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Permalink Reply by Chelsea and Wyatt on February 19, 2012 at 9:10pm

Thank you for the compliment. I was tempted to write a more assertive letter, but decided that would inevitably work against me. Also, thank you for posting this on Sacramento Region Corgi's. I think it's definitely something other dog owner's should know about. I think puppies are especially at risk, since they're so orally fixated and explore the world with their mouths so much.

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Permalink Reply by Joy on February 19, 2012 at 3:23pm

Thankfully, my "kids" are mature enough to not eat rocks. That being said, last year we spent a long, expensive night at the emergency vet clinic after Farris swallowed a wad of stuffing that my big brat, Smokey, had left lying around after another one of his infamous toy dissections.

I agree about the inappropriate use of decomposed granite in the dog parks, but I know the park department's defense to lack of grass will be a severe lack of funds to maintain it. It would be nice if we could get somebody to donate/sponsor funding for artificial turf, which wouldn't get muddy or require upkeep.

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Permalink Reply by Mickey on February 19, 2012 at 3:37pm

In June's Perfect World I'd win the lottery and open a doggie day care with artificial turf everywhere and a bone shaped, corgi-size pool for swim parties...alas...when I win the lottery...

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Permalink Reply by Chelsea and Wyatt on February 19, 2012 at 9:12pm

I agree, though I bet if enough people volunteered to fundraise--it would be possible to garner the funding. Glad your babies survived the stuffing ingestion!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on February 19, 2012 at 5:13pm

Poor Wyatt. I never did understand why they chose the decomposed granite there. Pretty much all of the other dog parks I have been to in Sacramento Area have grass, even the poorly maintained ones like the one off South Land Park (I think its Partner Park or something like that). Lucky for us Sac folks, there are so many other parks to go to, I'd just stay away from this one for sure. There is one off Elk Grove Blvd that is fully grass, has some little agility equipment and a very friendly crowd, its a bit of a drive but so worth it for your pup's safety. Franklin and I don't go to dog parks at all anymore but back when we did, this was our favorite one.

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Permalink Reply by Chelsea and Wyatt on February 19, 2012 at 9:14pm

Thanks for the tip about the Elk Grove park. That's still pretty close to us, so I will gladly make the trip to check it out!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 19, 2012 at 7:06pm

I hope Wyatt is ok, but I wanted to say that is one of the best complaint letters I have ever read in my life. You are so thoughtful and good at making it seem like your concern is for their best interests that it's much more likely to be looked into than if you wrote an angry, threatening screed (which is what I might have done!!)

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Permalink Reply by Chelsea and Wyatt on February 19, 2012 at 9:05pm

Thank you everyone for your kind and supportive words. I would happily volunteer to fundraise for some k-9 grass at the dog parks.

Wyatt is now happy, healthy, and home! He passed the last of the gravel this afternoon. I'm so grateful that we were able to not only find an emergency vet on a Friday night, but one with such high quality care! Seriously, if you live in the Sacramento area and are ever in the unfortunate circumstance of needing emergency care for your pooches or felines--then I would highly recommend Mueller Pet Hospital off of Freeport blvd. The doctors were so attentive and compassionate. They were also very good about giving us a head's up on what the hospitalization costs were going to be. It also doesn't hurt that the Doctor who initially admitted Wyatt graduated at the top of his class from UC Davis's veterinary school. :) As I kid, my parents brought our Beagle there. They're pricey, but well worth every penny.

I've included some pictures of Wyatt and I reuniting. :)