dogparkpatrol-blog
Where the Dogs and People Meet
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“Everyone brings their own character to the park,” said Russ Kornack a two year park veteran.
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The so called mayor of the park Lin Estrin and the founder of the park Sandy Friedman.
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The dogs taking over the children’s playground thats meant for the kids.
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Sometimes the dogs get tired and they want to leave, like Kala.
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In between the million dollar houses and the roaming coyotes, there is a dog park that brings more than just dogs together.
The park, which was created for the neighborhood children, is now home to the dogs and the dog-owners who have formed a bonded community of canine-loving individuals. Every evening a group of 10 people or more, depending on the weather and day, take their beloved dogs to Knapp Ranch Park in West Hills, atop Victory Blvd. Here the dogs run down slides, wrestle in the sand, and race across the large grassy park, tennis balls flying overhead.
“Now it is the kids on leash and the dogs off leash, said dad of Duke of Earl, a corgi mixed with a beagle, Russ Kornack.
Kornack, 64, has been going to the park for just over two years.
A large playground was built at the park where the children now must wait for a turn down the slide. Some parents get so annoyed with the dogs that they scream at the dog- owners, proclaiming to them that the park is an on-leash only park. But the dog-owners could care less about the rules.
“Oh I just ignore them,” said Lin Estrin who is the so-called “mayor” of the park. “If you keep quite they will just keep telling you all the rules.” Estrin, 70, has been coming to the park for over 10 years. She is one of the founding members. Her dog, Beau, is 14-years-old and is the grumpiest dog at the park.
Scattered around the park are signs declaring that dogs must be on-leash only under Los Angeles ordinance LAMC 6344. Fines for violating this ordinance can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 and even serving some jail time, according to the Los Angeles City website.
But that hasn’t stopped the eclectic group from marking their territory on this park. Like an old group of friends meeting everyday at a coffee shop these folks bring their own personality to the park that gives it its unique flair.
Some have been going to this park for more than ten years. Others who are new to the park try and mingle their way into the core group of friends who occupy the first picnic table to the left.
“If only this table could talk,” said Estrin. “We tried to keep this park a secret, but I guess people just gravitated towards it.”
Security guards who are hired by the neighboring community, that resides around the park, monitor the playground. The guards, according to the group, do not care that the dogs are off leash. Even when the cops are called to the park the police don’t seem to mind the dogs off leash either.
“Sometimes cops cruise through, but they never stop us because they are not looking for leashes on the dogs,” said 69-year-old Larry Blum who is dad to the blue-eyed mutt Charlie. Blum has been coming to the park for more than three years.
The park is not short of any drama, as everyone is informed about current events and neighborhood news. Everything from drone drama to family issues is talked about at the table where everyone nibbles on baked goods.
People of all ages come to the park, soon to become apart of a family they have or never had.
“It’s really like a big family up here, everyone means so much to me,” said one of the youngest members of the group.
But dogs will be dogs and with wealthy local residents coming to the park to try out new toys, like expensive drones and toy cars, the drama never ends.
“A father and son were up here with their brand new toy car and one of the dogs attacked it,” said Kornack. “The owner of the toy car went crazy, he called the cops on us, the cops never showed because it was so ridiculous.”
The owner of the dog had to pay $425 dollars to replace the toy car.
“I couldn’t stop laughing,” said 80-year-old Sandy Friedman otherwise known as the hall monitor of the park.
Friedman, mom of Joe, was the one that founded this dog park along with another park down along Victory. Her and Estrin have become best friends ever since.
“Everybody has each others backs,” said Estrin. “I’ll stand up for everybody.”
Maybe that is why everyone calls her the mayor.
Estrin along with the others citizens of the park have a special place in their hearts for this park.
“It is an oasis in the valley,” said Kornack overlooking the grand view of the valley down below. “You get to get away from everything.”
Aside from the drama and the unattended leftover poop from carless owners (the morning crowd) this park has a personality on its own. It has brought together people from all over the valley. People who thought they would just be bringing their dogs to the park to exercise have become apart of something special.
“It is my own separate world up here,” said Estrin. “I come here to be me.”
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