SAN DIEGOSAN DIEGO — On a recent morning dozens of Logan Heights pet owners ed their small and large furry, four-legged friends at a neighborhood park for free pet health services, brought to the community by a longtime resident.
People from Logan Heights and surrounding neighborhoods picked up bags of free food, treats, dog beds, and, in the spirit of the season, pet Halloween costumes. Some squeezed their dogs into Tyrannosaurus rex, bee and pineapple costumes.
The “Community Pup Up Event” on Saturday, Sept. 25, was the second pet owner resource fair at Memorial Park in Logan Heights, organized by Lizzie Rodriguez, a resident who got the idea after losing her dog.
“The well-being of our pets is equal to ourselves,” Rodriguez said. “Equity and inclusion extends to our pets. We take care of them and they take care of us.”
Rodrigue’s Chihuahua, Rico, ran away in March. She then spent months canvassing the neighborhood, speaking to residents, ing out flyers.
She said she quickly learned that many pet owners lacked access to resources and had little knowledge about organizations that could provide free or low-cost services to pets.
“People care for their animals but they might not know how to care for them,” she said.
In recent months, Rodriguez has been working to bring in more resources and is lobbying to get a gated dog park placed in the neighborhood, so people won’t have to drive far to let their animals exercise and socialize with other animals.
Rodriguez still has not found Rico, but she has hope, she says, as well as 12 chickens, three cats and another Chihuahua named Tajin.
She recently was hired as a community representative for Councilmember Vivian Moreno, who represents the neighborhood.
Moreno said in an email Thursday that city staff plan to share a design for the proposed park and a draft concept for an off-leash dog area next month with the Dolores Magdaleno Memorial Community Recreation Group, which advises the city on issues related to the park.
“This dog park will serve as a community hub for both people and animals and will provide access to a safe outdoor space for pets and their owners,” Moreno said. “All dogs should have a safe space to exercise freely and socialize with other dogs.”
The proposed dog park would also serve as an anchor for ongoing resource fairs for pet owners.
On Saturday in the Logan Heights park there were behavioral training tips, microchipping and custom pet tag stations run by the San Diego Humane Society.
Squeaky barks from some of the smallest pups at the park were drowned out by barking German shepherds and pit bulls.
Logan Heights resident Chris Briseno took 3-year-old Simba, a German shepherd-chow chow mix, to the event for free dog food and a new harness. He said a dog park would be a great addition to the neighborhood.
“Most people have their dogs fenced at home, but they could let them out at a park,” Briseno said.
Veronica Phillips took her 2-year-old pit bull, Zeus, to get a free microchip. Phillips, who lives in Shelltown, used to take Zeus to exercise in Golden Hill, but it’s not close to home and didn’t have a fence to stop the dogs from going into the street, so she stopped, she said.
A fenced dog park nearby would give Zeus a space to run, she said.
