An organized group of dog walkers accused the North Township Trustee of kicking them out of Wicker Park in Highland a couple weeks ago where they were walking their dogs together on the trail — something they say they should be able to do in a public park that allows dogs. However, Trustee Adrian Santos emphasized that while the public is welcome to walk their dogs on the trail, the group of walkers were all clients of the walk’s organizer and he is using park property to conduct his business — something that is not allowed. The group appeared at Tuesday’s North Township Board of Trustees meeting to claim Santos and the Highland Police kicked them out of Wicker Park where they were walking their dogs in a single file line in an organized fashion, practicing the training techniques they were taught in classes conducted by Lorenzo Longoria of Hammond, who operates a dog training business.
The dog walkers say they do not pay to go on the walks, where the training they paid for is reinforced with their dogs. Similar to running clubs, they gather to practice their techniques. Santos said his staff has been dealing with the issue since 2023, including removing signs advertising where Longoria and his class can be found inside the park.
Longoria said program participants bring their dogs that he trains to high visibility places with lots of distractions, which he said a free program that helps teach the dogs to be non-reactive. Longoria said the group was not in any restrict.