An online petition launched by the Hawaiian Agility Association, an AKC-licensed club, seeks to urge Mayor Rick Blangiardi to restart issuing permits for dog training activities in Oahu’s public parks.
As we are all aware, COVID-19 shut down most public accommodations, including public parks. However, as vaccination rates have increased and infection rates have decreased, outdoor gathering restrictions have loosened, which has allowed permitted outdoor sports to resume in Honolulu and throughout Oahu. However, according to the petition, dog training clubs that in the past have been permitted to use public parks on the island to conduct training classes have not been permitted to resume those activities.
AKC-affiliated dog clubs that hold public training classes provide a much needed and affordable community service. AKC believes that dogs acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic should be permitted to benefit from attending training classes. This will better ensure that they become and remain well-behaved members of both their family and their community.
Oahu residents interested in signing the petition that respectfully urges Mayor Rick Blangiardi to reopen Oahu’s public parks to dog training may access the online petition by going to https://www.change.org/p/mayor-rick-blangiardi-bring-dog-training-back-to-honolulu-s-parks.
For more information, contact AKC’s Hawaiian federation, the Pacific Pet Alliance at pacificpetalliance@gmail.com