About FIDO - Fiesta Island Dog Owners

Thank you! to all of you who sent in your message to FIDO regarding why you use Fiesta Island. Unfortunately, Parks and Recreation and many city officials believe the LiFE (Leash Free Exercise) areas for only dogs. They don't understand the areas are for the people. It's up to 'all of us' to send the message to the city that Fiesta Island's LiFE areas are for human exercise, recreation and places to get away. It's a place where we can exercise with our dogs and feel renewed from the busy life styles that we all have. If you haven't sent us your message or testimonial please take a moment and send us a picture of how you love to use Fiesta Island and your message to the city.

Jan O'Connor:

Dear Mayor Sanders,

As a member of the Pacific Beach community, I frequently take my dogs to Fiesta Island. The whole island is used in various capacities and does not need to be further developed! As a matter of fact, considering San Diego's financial crisis, I think the money could be put to better use, such as hiring police officers and paying existing police officers a fair wage.

The city has removed fire pits from many beach and bay areas because of the cost to maintain them - why not replace them before any consideration of developing Fiesta Island?

Fiesta Island also offers a safe haven for people and animals looking for refuge from fires.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Jan O'Connor Pacific Beach Town Council - Director

Kerry:

How do you use Fiesta Island? My husband and I take our three yellow Labrador Retrievers (Rebel, Rowser, & Ruckus) 4-5 times a week. It is our favorite part about living in San Diego. Where else in the world can you take your dog off leash in the middle of the city at the beach and watch the sunset? It's absolutely gorgeous. We feel very fortunate that we live in a place that values the human / canine bond so much so that it dedicates such a wonderful space to both our enjoyment. Thank you San Diego!!!

Who do you bring with you to Fiesta Island's fenced, leash-free area? Our family and friends when they come to visit. It is such a unique place we want to share it with them.

Why is Fiesta Island's leash-free area important to you? It is the best way for us to ensure our dogs get as much exercise, socialization and stimulation they need to be happy and healthy members of our family. It is an added bonus that we can get exercise too, meet wonderful people and enjoy the outdoors - all in the middle of the city! It also helps us to relieve stress from the long work day.

Laura Schultz:

Dear Mayor Sanders

I would like to address the proposed modifications to Fiesta Island. I believe the land use for people and dogs at Fiesta Island should remain in the same essence as it stands today. I am a practicing Veterinarian and concerned citizen who uses the park daily for various purposes. The health and well being of animals is a primary concern in my life as my career centers around their care. There are several reasons why I feel San Diego needs to maintain a large open area for recreation and sport activities rather than smaller, divided areas.

Safety is a valid concern for people as well as animals in the park. As I understand the plans, the large open area that currently exists will be divided with a road and vehicles traveling through the middle. I have personally seen a dog struck by a car at another park in the city because of its proximity to a major road. Fiesta Island is the only area in our city where families can come to walk, jog, and exercise without having their dogs on a leash. Placing an unnecessary road through the middle of an area intended for off-leash use will create a hazard for animals, children, and adults alike.

The rare privilege of having an off leash area for animals poses benefits too. When I first moved to San Diego I would take my dogs to a small dog park close to my neighborhood. I realized that I was just sitting around watching them play. I decided to walk with them on a leash around the neighborhood for my own exercise. Even though my dogs are well trained, it was not the most beneficial experience to have two large dogs falling all over me as I walked and attempted to run. Then I discovered Fiesta Island. It is the only place I can get a quality exercise along with my dogs. Because of this, my dogs and I lead a healthier lifestyle. Purina did a study which showed there is a 1.8 year difference in lifespan between an overweight (not even obese) dog and a healthy dog.[1] This study also demonstrated lifetime obesity is a risk factor for cancer in animals. If a lean body mass is maintained by an animal throughout their life, cancer has been found to be delayed and mean survival time after diagnosis has been longer. This entire philosophy is adaptive to people as well. A large open area allows for adequate exercise to maintaining a healthy life for animals and people.

I see the consequences of animal behavior and how it relates to humans on a daily basis. Fiesta Island is one of the reasons I can come home to well behaved dogs. When I am not able to get them out in the morning, they are prone to be more excitable and potentially destructive during the day. The most common reason for euthanasia and surrendering an animal to a shelter is behavior problems. A simple solution is to exercise the animals. Many people in San Diego do not have an adequate yard for their animal to play. Parks become a necessary component to keeping our animals, as well as ourselves, happy. Large spaces allow the socialization of dog to dog interactions and are less threatening so all animals can enjoy the space from the very shy dog to the more dominant dog. Appropriate play allows animals and their owners a better quality of life.

My last concern for Fiesta Island is the financial obligation of the project. I know the San Diego budget has many shortfalls and the financial state of the city is a common theme in the media. Recent natural disasters continue to stretch the limited funds of the City already. Many programs, initiatives, and schools can use the money from this project. Why fix something that is not broken?

I am hopeful that this information will help you understand why Fiesta Island is such a special site to the populous of San Diego. I can assure you that many residents can provide many reasons to preserve open space of Fiesta Island. If you have any questions regarding the information I have presented, please do not hesitate to contact me at your convenience. I appreciate your work for our city and hope you can help preserve this precious place.

Regards,
Laura Schultz, DVM

[1] J Am Vet Med Assoc. May 2002;220(9):1315-1320, 2002

Gerry and Richard:

Dear FIDO,

As a visitor to the area, we were thrilled to find such a wonderful, wonderful place to take our dog. We travel often and have never found a place so friendly to dog owners. Dogs and humans are well behaved and friendly. Most impressive is the number of bins for waste and the fact that users actually use them.

Congratulations to your organization for such a good job. We hope you are successful in saving as much of this dog park as possible.

Thank you,

Gerry, Richard
and Bart who thanks you the most!

Marla:

PLEASE, PLEASE - don't try to tame Fiesta Island!!! How can you improve on perfection?

It's appeal lies in it's un-kept state! It provides a very desirable - wanted, needed - contrast to the beautifully maintained and manicured other parts of Mission Bay Park.

For almost 25 years, I, and countless others, have "run away' to that unique little speck of paradise, when in need of a few minutes/hours of solitude. the illusion of having escaped into a wilderness far far away, refreshes the mind and makes the spirit soar. After a long walk along the edge of the Bay, either the total circle, or with less time available, the half circle, or cross-crossing, at random, on the many, narrow footpaths across the middle of the island, one feels fit again to join the human jungle.

After the rains, the greater part of the island is/was covered with a carpet of yellow wildflowers, (that was before you raped the land and scraped much of the land barren, in your misguided efforts of 'maintenance', now causing dust storms across the whole island).

I have a photo of that seemingly endless yellow field of flowers with my black and white Border Collie in it's midst. It was made into a commercially produced poster. (Chamber of Commerce - are you interested?)

Yes, our free-roaming dogs as our companions, are a necessity. They enhance our experience, our love for nature. Their ability to "live in the moment", their joy of being free, is contagious.

Fenced-in "dog parks" are so artificial. One goes out of duty and love for the dog, but the human mind becomes bored quickly just standing around. The tendency to cut those visits short is therefore strong.

All my visitors from out of town, especially from Europe, are always shown Fiesta Island in combination with the rest of the Mission Bay Park. All marvel at the contrast of this unique speck of untouched nature in the middle of a metropolis and the diverse activities one can observe there from horse back riding to rocketry.

If you have money laying around improve the water circulation in some of the bays, which have become dead fish cemeteries and prevent further run-off into the bay which diminishes the water quality.

BUT LEAVE "FIESTA SIALND" UNTOUCHED. PLEASE!!!!!