I spent my Monday romping with my off-leash dogs in five area dog parks I've never hit before--Grandview in Sea-Tac, Dr. Jose Rizal on Beacon Hill, Plymouth Pillars on Capitol Hill, Westcrest in White Center and I-5 Colonnade in Eastlake. I was filling in the missing pieces for an off-leash area (OLA) round-up next week. We have some wonderful and diverse dog parks, but the I-5 Colonnade--one of the city's two newest--stopped me in my tracks.

For those who have not checked out this OLA, and that is probably most of you, it's a long gravel-surfaced rectangle on a slope edged in cyclone fencing with concrete barricades set among enormous concrete columns (the "colonnade") holding up Interstate 5. If it sounds like a doggie dystopia created by Philip K. Dick, you're not far off.

During my lunchtime visit, I met only one other person, a woman walking with a sweet brown puppy. She comes fairly regularly and said I was the first person with dogs she'd ever seen here. I was hardly surprised to hear that this noisy, dark, brutal environment has not become a hub for playing and socializing.

It seemed to illustrate some of the difficult questions off-leash advocates argue over: Is any off-leash area better than no off-leash area? Are some parks simply too small to benefit dogs, or, in the case of I-5 Colonnade, too unpleasant? (If people don't want to go to a park because it's dark, dirty or feels unsafe, there's not much benefit for the dogs, right?)

I admire folks who wade into the public debate and work to carve out space for dogs in a city with decreasing space and increasing claims on that space. One argument for "marginal" parks goes: If the dog's don't care, why should we? Here's the thing: Off-leash areas aren't really for dogs. They are for people who want to enjoy time with and care for their dogs -- just like any other park user group. Why should dog people be squeezed into smaller and more marginalized spaces?

I'd love to hear what you think. Check out our new forum opportunities for a conversation about what you think of the I-5 Colonnade. Is there a lively community down there? And provide your input on what you think is the future of dog parks. Should we focus more energy on creating fewer, larger regional parks or invest in more neighborhood pocket parks?

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