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"