ESCONDIDO: City's dog park may reopen this week

Special cleanser expected to kill dangerous virus

By DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer | Monday, September 22, 2008 5:54 PM PDT ∞

ESCONDIDO ---- City officials said Monday that a special decontaminating cleanser might allow them to reopen Escondido's only dog park by the end of the week, far sooner than predicted when a virus scare forced the park to close Sept. 18.

The cleanser is expected to quickly and safely eradicate any trace of highly contagious parvovirus, which was diagnosed in a stray dog found early last week in the park.

Officials from the city and the Escondido Humane Society said Monday that they are not aware of any other parvovirus cases connected to the dog park or the stray dog, which eventually died.

City officials had expected the park to remain closed for up to two months when they were planning to use ordinary bleach as a cleanser, said Robin Bettin, assistant director of community services.

But the special cleanser, which is being donated by a San Diego defense contractor, is expected to act more quickly while also allowing most or all of the grass to survive, she said.

"I was particularly concerned that the bleach would kill the turf," said Bettin, explaining that the special cleanser kills viruses and bacteria without killing grass. "But now we expect to get the park open by the end of the week. It will probably be open by the end of Thursday, or possibly even sooner."

City crews mowed the grass in the park Monday in preparation for use of the special cleanser on Wednesday, said Bettin.

This is the first closure for Mayflower Dog Park since it opened on the eastern outskirts of town in 2001. Roughly 100 people bring their dogs to the 1.5-acre park each day, she said.

Since the park was closed, nearly 100 area dog owners have called the humane society seeking advice on how to deal with parvovirus and whether their dogs may have been exposed, said executive director Sally Costello.

But the number of calls has steadily dwindled, she said.

City officials still recommend that dog owners who recently took their animals to the park contact their veterinarians with concerns or questions.

Costello said young and un-vaccinated puppies are at greatest risk for developing the disease, which causes lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes death. Cases in vaccinated adult dogs are rare, she said. No humans have ever been diagnosed with the disease.

Costello blamed the problem on many dog owners being irresponsible about vaccinations.

The company donating the cleanser, L-3 Communications, said helping Escondido was a unique opportunity for their decontaminant, which is called SteraMist.

"We don't normally think of using SteraMist to clean up a dog park," said Karen Hillyard, the company's director of business development. "But we haven't scratched the surface of what it can do."

The cleanser was certified as safe by the Environmental Protection Agency in July, and it has been used by the military for about two years, said Hillyard.

It kills bacteria, viruses and spores, she said. Ideal places for SteraMist include hospitals, hotels and cruise ships, she said.

The company would typically charge about $13,000 for the 50 gallons of cleanser required to decontaminate the park, said Hillyard. That estimate does not include labor, she said.

Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 740-5468 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.