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BARKING UP THE OAKTON TREE

President of the Bushman Drive Kennel Club in Oakton pushes for puppy park


Text by Nico Colombant for The Connection, Dec 16-22, 1999


Early in January, the Fairfax County Park Authority will decide whether to test a fenced off portion of Blake Lane park in Oakton as the county's first off-leash dog area in the county. Eagerly awaiting this decision for a prototype puppy park will be Robert Fowler, president of the Bushman Drive Kennel Club in Oakton and a fierce "free the dogs" lobbyist. Fowler says his labrador retriever, Dewey, has gained fifteen pounds since he stopped letting him off the leash in Blake Lane park, where according to Fowler "animal control wardens, the worst case of wanabee cops, hide in bushes and act like the Gestapo." Fowler, a former town commissioner in Delaware where Dewey once roamed free on Dewey Beach, says he has spent $10,000 in legal fees to protect the rights of dog owners who have been fined for giving their dogs some outdoor liberty.

"If the plan is approved, it would be a victory for all dogs and all their owners in Fairfax County," Fowler says from his home in Oakton, richly decorated for Christmas, where even Dewey has a stocking. "The county is progressive and cutting-edge but on this issue, it's really fallen behind."

Cat and Mouse

Tired of playing cat and mouse with animal control wardens- Fowler once had a crew with CBs out in the Blake Lane field, relaying a signal to leash if the warden van was spotted- members of the Bushman Drive Kennel Club, listed alphabetically by their dog's name, approached County Supervisor Gerald. E Connolly to launch a dog area initiative.

Connolly, the owner of a schnauzer named George Washington, and a poodle called Teddy Roosevelt, was more than happy to abide. "The clashes between the animal control wardens and the Bushman club were becoming unbearable," Connolly said. "It was necessary to make accommodations for dog owners to be able to unleash their dogs legally."

The proposed site on Blake Lane just north of Interstate 66 is part of a vast piece of land which includes soccer fields, a hill of shrubs, a recycling center and a parking lot. The puppy park would be enclosed in about 100 by 150 feet of this terrain.

Out of Warden's View

"Dog owners would have to act responsibly," says Connolly, who believes six months will be needed for evaluation. "We also would have to determine the utilization rate." Fearing an invasion of dogs in Oakton, Fowler says he would like to see a puppy park for each neighborhood in the county. "The idea is to be able to walk down the street and unleash your dog at your convenience. You shouldn't have to drive your car to be able to do this or fear getting chased down by some gun-totting warden," Fowler says, stressing the latter point.

Connolly who lives in Mantua says Oakton will be too far for his dogs to roam free. For his part, Fowler, 62, reminisces on the days when Oakton neighbors would congregate on winter nights at Blake Lane park and set up lanterns for dog runs. If approved, the puppy park will have a high fence, limited hours of operations and strict rules. Regimented freedom, but freedom nonetheless, and out of the warden's view.

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