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Margory Cohen

My name is Margory Cohen. I am resident in San Francisco with two Scottish Deerhounds. My dogs have appeared on stage with the San Francisco Opera, and American Conservatory Theater. They have been in conformation shows and field events. I have professional dogs. I am a dog wrangler, a trainer, a handler, a writer, a dog historian.

The fallout from the lack of off-lead safe recreation is huge. The problems that we would have...... Walking off lead with a dog is as American as apple pie and motherhood. The idea that we would spend as much time as we do driving across town to go to this land to walk with the dogs off-lead safely, and then not take care of it, is a misunderstanding.

I am in touch with trainers and other dog writers and vets and people in the dog business throughout the country. In New Jersey there are places where it's illegal to walk with your dog in the town square even on lead. It horrifies me to think that if a leash law is imposed in San Francisco-- it would be a travesty if that happened here. Because really what the "no dog" signs are saying is "no people." The person who walks alone on the beach is safe with a dog. A woman alone isn't safe on the beach. A man is open to assault. Anyone who has a service dog will also be denied access to the beach.

I extend my card to you; I'm available to you, to the supervisors; I am ever-available, to meet with you as a private individual, as someone whose life is completely involved with dogs, professionally and personally, to come with me and my dogs and look at this land and talk about what we can do for it. There is an Indian tribe, the Kato Indians, who talk about The Great Traveler coming to the earth and walking along and creating the rivers and the trees and all of this land that you want to protect, and when he came, he came with his own dog. God had a dog. If you put that sign on the beach, even the Great Traveler couldn't walk there. So, if I may approach [the Chair], here's my card: I'm available to all of you.

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