The park is for the enjoyment of our canine visitors.

    1. Dogs MUST wear a current Fetch Park membership tag and a current rabies tag. Annual membership is required per dog.
    2. Dogs must be current on vet recommended vaccinations – DHLPP and have a current rabies vaccination. Flea, tick, and heartworm preventative are recommended.
    3. Dogs are to be leashed when entering and exiting the dog park.
    4. All dogs WITHIN the fenced areas must be off leash.
    5. Aggressive dogs do not belong in the park and must leave immediately.
    6. Dogs must be under owners voice control at all times. They should come when called by the owner/ handler. Owners must be present with a leash and in view of their dog (s) at all times.
    7. Dog feces/waste must be picked up and disposed of inside and outside the park by the owner.
    8. Owner must immediately fill in any holes dug by their dog. Owners are solely responsible for any and all damage or injuries caused by their dog.
    9. NO food or treats (human or canine) alcoholic beverages, cigarette/cigar smoking, (butts are hazardous) strollers, glass containers, bicycles or firearms allowed in the park. Dog toys are prohibited in the park when other dogs are present.
    10. Dogs in heat are NOT permitted in the dog park. Dogs under 5 months are NOT permitted in the park.
    11. Dogs must wear collars in the park. NO choke chain, spike, prong or shock collars in park.
    12. No child under the age of 12 permitted in the park without a supervising adult. No children under 6 years of age allowed in the park.
    13. Small dogs are considered 30 lbs. and under. No dogs over 30 lbs. allowed in the small park.
    14. Special needs area is for the enjoyment of our members with limited mobility.
    15. Enter at your own risk. Fetch Dog Park/Fetch Dog Park Leadership Team/Volunteers/City of Danville is not responsible for accidents & injuries while using the dog park.
    16. Sharing the gate fob/key card or opening the entrance gate for a member/non- member will result in suspension of park privileges and deactivation of fob/card key.

 

Membership applications, park information, and visitor information available at fetchdogpark.org and at the dog park, second black mailbox at the entrance. Find us on Facebook or call Elisabeth @ 217-446-9078.

 

 

Fetch Appeals In Review (F.A.I.R.) Policy

INTRODUCTION

Fetch Park recognizes that from time to time a member may encounter a problem dog, question or complaint that, if left unresolved, could affect park satisfaction and enjoyment.

As always, members are encouraged to speak up when they have a concern or complaint about how the application of a Fetch Park rule has affected them.  The Open Door Policy provides access to any member of the Leadership Team with whom a member wishes to express a concern.  This can be a very effective way to solve problems.

However, when a member is faced with a situation that has not been satisfactorily resolved by traditional means, the Peer Review procedure may be used.  Peer Review is a formal problem solving system designed to ensure that each member’s concerns are given careful consideration and conflicts are resolved quickly and fairly.

SCOPE OF AUTHORITY

The Peer Review Panel will hear appeals involving the application of park rules, procedures, established practices, and/or common sense rules affecting members.  In other words, peer panels may review leadership’s actions to ensure that the policy or practice was applied PROPERLY and CONSISTENTLY.  If they find otherwise, they have the authority to make appropriate changes or remedies consistent with park practices and/or policies.

The Peer Review Panel cannot do any of the following:

  • Set or change policy
  • Set or change park rules
  • Set or change City of Danville park policy or rules.

Fetch Park Leadership Team will counsel panel members on the Peer Review Panel’s jurisdiction.

In all cases the panel can make recommendations to the Leadership Team concerning ways in which policies can be improved, better communicated, or more consistently applied.  These non-binding recommendations will be communicated to the appropriate people on behalf of the panel by panel’s facilitator.. Leadership Team will review and communicate response to all Panel Recommendation within 30 days.

This policy will be subject to review annually by the Leadership FAIR Policy Team for recommended updates, subject to Fetch Park Leadership Team approval.

The senior Leadership team member when necessary will arrange refresher and new Panelist training.

ELIGIBILITY

This policy will apply to all members who utilize Fetch Dog Park.

IMPLEMENTATION

This program begins on April 1, 2012.  Only those situations that occur on or after that date can be brought before the F.A.I.R. policy.

PROCEDURE

 Peer Review is a three-step process.  Steps 1 and 2 may be bypassed in cases involving termination of Park Privileges.  A privilege-affected member is given a maximum of 7 calendar days to appeal the privilege limiting action.  A privilege-affected member has until 5:00pm of the 7th calendar day after they were notified of their privilege limiting action to submit their appeal.  If the 7th calendar day falls on a weekend or holiday, the window will be extended to the next business day at 5:00pm.

STEP 1          The affected member must discusses the problem with a Leadership Team member.  Names of Leadership Team members will be listed on the www.Fetchdogpark.org web site. The goal of this meeting is to solve the problem and to improve communication and understanding.  (This step may or may not be documented in writing.)  Each Team Leader contacted by a member is given three (3) days to respond.

STEP 2          The affected member must begin step 2 of the Peer Review process within 7 calendar days (excluding holidays), beginning from the day of the problem or the date the member is impacted by the problem.  If the member is not satisfied with the Step 1 response, he/she may submit a written appeal form that may be down loaded from the Fetch Park web site (click here to view/print) or obtain the form from Elisabeth Grzelak.  The form shall indicate the problem and the desired remedy. The form must be turned in/mailed to the Leadership member with whom the matter was discussed in Step 1, above within the 7 day time period   The form will be sent by the Leadership Team member who received the Appeal to the Peer Review Facilitator.  The Peer Review Facilitator, along with one or more member of the Panel shall meet with the member and after conducting an investigation, will give the member a written response within a maximum of 7 calendar days.

STEP 3          If the member disagrees with the Step 2 decision, he/she may appeal to the Leadership Team panel within 7 calendar days.  A final and binding decision by the Leadership Team will be rendered. within 7 calendar days of the Leadership Team’s meeting.

Time Limits:  All Leaders and Panel members are encouraged to work together to resolve disputes as quickly as possible.  All deadlines mentioned in this policy may be extended by mutual consent.  If the leader’s or panel’s time limits are not met and no additional time has been requested, then the appeal will be automatically advanced to the next step.  If the privilege-affected member fails to request the next step within the required time limits and has not requested an extension, then the appeal will be considered resolved at the previous step.

 PEER REVIEW FACILITATOR

 A trained primary and secondary Peer Review Facilitator will be identified by Chair of the Leadership Team for each case.  If a conflict exists, a back-up facilitator will be designated.  The role of the facilitator includes keeping the meeting focused on the issue before the panel.  The facilitator does not give opinions on the matter before the panel or vote on its outcome.  The facilitator will process paperwork, summon witnesses, handle meeting logistics, and perform related chores so that panelists can concentrate on reaching a fast and fair decision.  If the facilitator has any personal involvement with the case, he/she cannot serve with that panel.  The facilitator has twenty-four (24) hours to notify the panelists who were chosen. The Facilitator will provide Panelist and Witnesses the name of the Appellant, the subject matter, and the date/time of the meeting.

THE PEER REVIEW PANEL

Each Peer Review Panel consists of five voting members.  Two pools of panelists exists: Leadership/Support and Peers.  All eligible members of Fetch Dog Park will have the option of volunteering to be a panelists.

Peer Panel Selection:

  1. The privilege-affected member will randomly draw 6 names from the Peer box and choose 3 to serve on the panel and one alternate.
  2. He/she will then randomly draw 4 names from the Leadership/Support box and choose 2 to serve on the panel and one alternate.

Leadership/Support Panel Selection: 

 The privilege-affected member will randomly draw 6 names from the Leadership/Support box and choose 3 to serve on the panel and one alternate.

He/She will then randomly draw 4 names from the Peer box and choose 2 to serve on the panel and one alternate.

If a panelist declines to serve for any reason, including personal involvement or conflict of interest, the alternate will serve on the panel.  Leadership Team members who have conflict of interest with the privilege-affected member are also disqualified to serve.

Panelists are certified after completing a certification-training workshop.  All panelists are obliged to maintain complete confidentiality at all times.  Violation of confidentiality by any panelist will result in disqualification from serving as a panelist. Panelist who no show for review meeting will be disqualified from serving as a Panelist at the discretion of the Chair of the Leadership Team, not reviewable by FAIR.

Upon repeated complaints from Panelist to the Chair Leader concerning another Panelist inappropriate behavior including but not limited to; meeting inactivity, repeated disruptive questioning, continuous lack of focus on topic, etc, all after Facilitator counseling to correct the inappropriate behavior, will require the    Leadership Chair to meet with the subject Panelist to determine his/her side of the situation. The Leadership chair will determine if the subject Panelist should be disqualified from serving as a Panelist again, and could result in further action concerning conduct.

Panels have the authority to grant, modify or deny an appeal. In no case can they modify a disciplinary action to make it more severe than the original leadership action.  Their decision is final and binding.

The Appellant is not allowed to contact (directly or indirectly) any of the selected Panelists prior to the hearing. Any attempt to do so will result in the cancellation of the Peer Review Meeting and termination of the Appeal Process for the appellant member.

THE PEER REVIEW MEETING

 The panel will interview the member filing the appeal, the Team Leader/Ranger involved, and any other Park members with information about the case.  The disciplined member or Park Ranger has the right to bring any pertinent documents to the hearing.  Only one witness is present in the meeting at any given time.  The panel will also review applicable past practice, policy and other relevant information necessary to conduct a complete and thorough investigation.  The facilitator will provide this information to the panel, if available, upon request.

After all evidence has been reviewed, the panel will vote by secret ballot to answer the question “was the policy applied properly and consistently in this case?”  A majority “yes” vote of the panel members hearing the matter will result in the appeal being denied.  A majority “no” vote will lead to further discussions and voting regarding possible remedies.  The panel has the authority to grant, modify or deny the member’s proposed remedy.  Each time a vote is taken, ballots are counted only until three like votes are found, then all ballots are destroyed.  Each panelist agrees in advance to sign the final decision letter regardless of his/her personal feelings about the case, and to treat all information as confidential.

The member will be notified by the facilitator about the panel’s decision within 1 day after the hearing with a written notification to follow. The answer will be reviewed with the Chair of Leadership Team.

Any retribution or retaliation taken against a panelist, ranger, witness or any other person participating in the Peer Review Process will not be tolerated and should be reported to Chair of the Leadership Team immediately.