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Mira Vista Field
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  Entrances are located in Richmond, CA at
  • Foot of Zinn Street
  • Top of Sierra Avenue
  • Hazel Avenue at Tulare Avenue
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Notice to all dog walkers:

This field, owned by the West Contra Costa County Unified School District, is not now, and has never been, officially an off leash park.

  • It is essential that you always keep your dogs on leash in this field during school hours (8AM-3PM M-F).
  • It is also essential that you never walk your dogs in the school yard during school hours, on leash or off.
  • Please pick up after your dogs.
  • YOUR DOG MUST BE UNDER YOUR CONTROL. YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOG AT ALL TIMES. NO charging or unwelcome jumping on people or other dogs.
  • Make sure you have a LEASH for your dog WITH YOU.

Field / Dog Protocol

  1. We should all be respectful of other people and their likes and dislikes for our dogs. The field is NOT A DOG PARK. It is an OPEN SPACE FOR ALL TO USE: walkers, joggers, adults, children, and people with dogs. We have been given permission by the school district to have our dogs off leash in the field. Remember that not everyone loves dogs as many of us do. Some people are very uncomfortable around dogs. And others, both with and without dogs of their own, do not know your dog and its behaviors.
  2. If you bring a dog to the field, train the dog and keep tabs on it when it is off leash. Keeping our dogs under control is the best way to have them get along with other dogs and people, and to show non-dog people how nice dogs can be. Remember, a simple call to Animal Control by a scared (or angry) person can cut off our use of the field for dogs off leash (it has happened in the past).
  3. DO NOT ENGAGE with an irrational, angry person. If you encounter someone who is argumentative, do NOT argue with them. They are having a bad day and are not going to hear whatever you have to say. They may be looking for someone to fight with and you will just be falling into their trap if you argue back. The best thing to do is to remove yourself (and your dog) from their presence.
  4. If you post a flyer at the field, please do so only on the bulletin board and include the date, your name and contact information. Anonymous flyers, and any of a threatening, insulting or defamatory nature, MAY be removed.
  5. And, finally, if you do encounter some sort of conflict at the field, or have any other concerns, please LET US KNOW. "We" are local residents (both dog owners and non-dog owners) who have been involved with the field for a *very long time* and who want to preserve harmonious use of the field by all in our community. We will work with you to resolve issues and have mediation resources available to help in particularly difficult situations. You can Contact us by e-mail.

TO ALL FIELD USERS

There have been several instances of dogs reportedly misbehaving and causing problems at the field. These incidents include dogs charging other dogs, dogs charging people, certain dogs attacking other dogs, dogs jumping on people, dogs jumping on other dogs and causing injury. Whether these are aggressive acts or rough play this kind of behavior MUST STOP!

It is your responsibility to control your dog no matter what its temperament may be. Do not assume that behaviors that are OK with you are OK with others. This may include things like running up, barking, circling, high speed passes, and jumping. Remember, the other party cannot possibly know your dog like you do, and they or their dog may react differently than you would.

If you are involved in an incident involving a dog, the following protocol should be followed:

  1. The "instigator" dog's owner should take responsibility for the actions of their dog(s). They should get their dog under control and apologize to the "victim," EVEN IF it is an incident that you or they think is "No big deal."
  2. Both parties should exchange information just like in a car accident (minimum of owner's name, dog's name, and contact phone number).
  3. If the incident is serious and one or both parties are not willing to exchange information then either party should feel empowered to gather as much information as possible (including photographs) and provide it to Animal Control. Lack of cooperation shall be grounds for being asked to refrain from utilizing the field.
  4. If medical attention is required by an individual, Animal Control should be contacted no matter what, as a visit to the ER will require the victim to report it and by law Animal Control will become involved. Veterinary care for either animal is a judgment call by both parties as to whether Animal Control should be notified.

Everyone should be aware of their dog's whereabouts in the field and what they are doing AT ALL TIMES. We understand that sometimes it is easy to lose track of our dogs when we are involved in a conversation with someone, but this is not excusable. We also need to all have a bit of patience and understanding; a dog may be well trained, but when playing off leash it can be a different story -- it is hard to get them to stop in their tracks.

Finally, if your dog has aggressive tendencies, then Mira Vista Field is not the right place for you to bring your dog. And, if your dog is timid this may also not be the right place for your dog.

To sum up:

Always have your dog(s) under control. Behavior that you find acceptable may not be well received by others.

Always pay attention to your dog(s). The field is not a place for you to take a walk and ignore your dog's whereabouts. There are others using the field who have young dogs, old dogs, timid dogs, dogs being trained, and dogs that have behavioral issues, who are assuming that your dog(s) will be well behaved and under control just as they have their dog(s) under control.

When an incident occurs all parties should get their dog(s) under control, check for injuries, discuss the situation so it can be remedied and mitigated in the future. They should exchange information as necessary, and follow the protocol outlined above.

Thank you for reading this and for joining us in helping to keep Mira Vista Field as a community resource.

 
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