Curious about Original SC and Dogs

I am curious about the dog rules in sun city. Walking my dogs, yes, picking up poop I get but I did not hear one dog bark the entire week in Sun City. Are there any rules about walking them outside of leashes and picking up their stink? I only saw a couple of dogs being walked while visiting. What is the dog park like? Where is it. Do my dogs need heart worm meds? Alaska we don’t have the heart worm problem. I believe there are ticks. Is it a problem in Sun City? Looking for some insight so I don’t get anyone’s dander up.

 

SC is an unincorporated area of Maricopa County, so their laws apply -- ie, dog must be on a 6-foot leash, registered, have rabies vac.

The SC CC&Rs indicate no unreasonable noise, clean up their poops, fenced yards or leashed when outdoors.

Condos have varied restrictions -- no dogs, limited number, limited weight.

SC Dog park is on Thunderbird & Del Web. There are also DPs in Peoria and Surprise.

 

People walking their dog(s) is a common occurrence. I/we walk our standard poodle three times a day now, but when it gets hot, early morning and late evening is the norm. The sidewalks retain their heat and it will burn their paws. Funny you asked about barking, because as we walked last night i was telling my wife i have never heard so much background barking. Just one of those nights i guess.

One of the SCHOA CC&R's is you have to try and control the barking, if a neighbor complains they will come out and ask you to work with your dog to keep them as quiet as possible. Leash laws are a county ordinance, as well as picking up. Most people are good, but there's always a handful.

The dog park is a one size fits all. On the corner of Thunderbird and Del Webb Blvd (there's actually two intersections with the same cross streets but this one is by the LaRonde Center) , fully fenced and pretty well maintained and liked. For the longest time we had nothing other than the current park maintained and owned by a resident. He was moving on to another state and while on the board we (the RCSC) agreed to buy it and run it. We were scheduled to open another in Phase 1 next to the Sun Bowl, but when we bought this one, the board got antsy about the complaints and bailed. I suspect Carole M will jump in here about that, it still pisses her off. They handled it poorly.

There are a huge number of dogs in Sun City. There are also a few crabs who hate the fact people walk them and let them crap when they walk, even if they pick it up. I learned long ago there's so little to whine about, some have become expert at inventing stuff jsust to stay in practice.

 

Thank you very much. I am glad to hear this as my dogs are family and I cannot imagine my life without them.

 

I seem to remember Carole making a point along the lines that she was reprimanded for going a few inches outside some boundary with her dog, which, to me, seemed outlandish. I wish she would elaborate further on this point.

 

Wow! Never heard of the local mafia. I had to look up the rules.... BP17, I guess....

In an effort to enforce any and all rules and regulations and provide a conducive and consistent flow on RCSC golf courses, a volunteer group of Golf Rangers has been formed, under the overall direction of the Pro Shop Manager. The Board of Directors authorizes individuals functioning under the volunteer RCSC Golf Ranger Program to assess fines, report incidents, and suggest lengths of suspensions, when applicable.

Non-golfers on course during hours of play or pets on golf course at any time – violators may also be prosecuted for trespassing – organized events may allow spectators at the discretion of the Director of Golf
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I understand there needs to be rules and, unfortunately, some mechanism of enforcement... usually that is being kicked off/barred from playing golf, at least on public courses. But really? A ticket and fine? Was it Golf Ranger Barney Fife that gave you a ticket?

Just wondering -- can I give the them a ticket when their errant sprinklers spray my car as I drive by? Only seems fair.

 

This may help a little for the newbies: The Rec Center grounds and golf courses are posted "no pets." They cannot stop service dogs because of statute, though you rarely see them. There are exceptions; the dog park the most obvious with the second being at Fairway where they have the a separate entrance and club space for the dog club where they do training and agility classes. BTW, the dog park also has a club to join but you do not have to be a a member to use it.

The above mentioned ranger program has a long history of trial and error. It's a thankless job in their primary role is to keep golfers from dawdling. For those who don't know, during the busy season, we schedule 5-somes, and at times they drag along driving everyone behind them nuts. The program is a tough sell, because it is volunteer based with some reduced rates on golf and i think mileage credits as they drive their own carts.

For 18 years we lived less than a block from the Riverview course and often walked our two standard poodles on Boswell (it abuts the course). In all those years, there were two times we had an issue for "trespassing." Both were fairly heated exchanges. One with golfers and one with a POSSE member who was friends with the golfers and happened a few days later. Neither resulted in anything. The green grass was a treat for the dogs in the summer when the sidewalks were hot. We were never more than 5 feet or so off the sidewalk and nowhere near the playing area. None of that matters these days because they have converted that grass to desert landscaping to cut down on watering on many of the courses.

Overall the goal is to keep the dogs off the course. We have floated ideas a long the way to use the courses after hours as walking trails (for people and their dogs) but that idea has gone nowhere. So you know, you can ride bikes or walk on the cart paths after hours and there is no play. It's not as harsh as it sounds, though there is the occasional zealot like Carole ran into.

 

Is it okay to use the dog parks at the other Sun City areas? Indendentcynic mentioned Peoria and Surprise. Or are these DP’s in public areas? My dogs are going to have to really adjust as they only know their dog door into a grass yard, wooded hikes and freedom. This will be interesting as rural Alaska has few rules. Guess we are in for a learning curve.

 

We switched from dogs to a cat because of the difficulty in dog ownership here in the Sun City summer heat. I'm sure the dog clubs and other owners can give you pointers on caring for canines and dog parks open to the public in nearby communities.

 

https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Local-Area-Dog-Parks.pdf
https://www.tripsavvy.com/dog-parks-in-phoenix-2677212

I have only used a few of them -- all were grass. They vary in size, most have separate areas for large/small dogs -- the definition varies, but 25-35 pounds is the typical dividing line. They are all public as far as I know, most are part of a larger city park. Some are open until 10pm. Parking is not always immediately adjacent to the DP area, so they require a little walk to get to the area for dogs. Some have limited seating so people bring lawn chairs. Because they're grass, irrigation is required. Thus, their hours necessarily vary since watering is required several times a week in the heat of summer. Most are closed a couple weeks late summer to allow switch from summer to winter grass varieties. A few have multiple areas which are alternated -- ie, an area is closed, watered, then allowed to sit for a day or more to allow the grass to grow and puddles to dry, then switched online while another area is watered/allowed to recover.

Duffyland (the name of the SC DP at T'bird & Del Web) is different in that it has no grass -- it's crushed granite (roughly the size of aquarium gravel). It's a nice facility, paved walkways, plenty of benches for humans to sit, goodly amount of shade. The dogs are generally well behaved although some of the smaller breeds can get barky. Several neighbors of the DP are constant complainers (noise, barking, smell) so the park's hours are a little more restrictive than some of the non-SC parks.

If you are worried about grass/gravel I can offer this personal experience -- a rescue dog I had some years ago apparently had always had access to grass before I got her. My yard is all river rock (sometimes called pea gravel, it's the small smooth stones from the riverbed which most yards in the older SC neighborhoods have). It took her 3-4 days to feel comfortable on the river rock. Oddly, she never had an issue with the crushed granite. Whether granite or river stone, the stone gets really hot in the direct summer sun -- but shade will keep it cool enough for all but the hottest afternoons. Same for sidewalks -- in the heat of summer we only walk our dogs on the sidewalks after sundown. Others walk their dogs at first light in the morning, but we're not early morning people.

SC phase 1 has some streets with wide grass medians (eg, Alabama, 107th, Mountain View, etc) where people walk/jog with their dogs -- and those less able to walk drive their golf carts with their dog running along side. Unfortunately, the County has replaced some of the grass with crushed rock -- still ok for dog, less so for jogging.

 

Thank you so much. This helps me immensely. It will take a bit of adjusting but you have given us lots of options.