Dog Parks- Dogs Beware
March 4, 2020
When the news media report on child or animal abuse the general public has a tendency to become very upset. Children and animals (pets) depend on us for everything. Ask me, I have been catering to my pets for years. I have always had 2 dogs at a time (twice the work) but they were company for each other when I was away from home. Today I have KC and she’s enough for me and hopefully I am enough for her as long as I’m able to reach her treat jar.
Years ago my 2 dogs and I would visit Village Paws Park on Saratoga Rd. and meet up with our friends. Same people every day, seven days a week usually from 5-7 PM. We would sit on the benches talking and watch our dogs play and chase each other. Good times had by all.
The dog park consisted of 3 sections, one for small dogs, one for large, and the third section was left empty until the city sprayed for flees and ticks, then that section would be padlocked and the 3rd. section would be used. Good system, but never used.
My group meet for 3 years and we never saw the section closed, meaning they never sprayed the area. This became evident when I had ticks crawling up my walls, and needed an exterminator.
The three sections has a wide gate and when they were opened it allowed the lawn mower to travel the 3 sections and cut what the city refers to as grass. My group always met in the “small section” and Bob was a regular along with his small dog Romeo, and they were bonded at the hip. One day Romeo got through the gate opening and a large dog grabbed him by the back of the neck, two shakes and Romeo died right there.
My dog, Bear was a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and they originated in Ireland and used as Herding Dogs. Well my Bear used to run the fence line attempting to herd the large dogs next door, and in a week he wore a rut in the dirt and I would come in with a rake and bags of topsoil and he would start over. Notice the slab against the fence where a dog tried to dig under the fence, and the space between the fence and grass where dogs would run.
A few years ago after much complaining a woman from the city named Leah Rockwell and her associate from Parks & Rec. meet with me at the dog park and I pointed out the problems with the park, especially the fence opening, and the dog that was killed and the section the dogs wore down running the fence line. Her associate was busy taking notes which I considered a positive sign. I asked if it was possible to have the 2-3 foot wide area along the fence line filled in with cement to avoid have rut’s in the ground and replacing sod. I was told the city had money in the parks budget and it would be done. When I met with the group that nigh and told them we were thrilled.
The pictures you are looking at with this story were taken on 3/4/2020. Promises made, but not kept.
So the city wants voters to pass the 30 million dollar Park Bond and making promises like they did in 2000. Promises that were not kept then and wont be kept now. Did you know “The city is not legally allowed to lobby voters to support the bond, so Muoio said her PAC, Vote Yes for WPB Parks, plans to raise money to get the word out.”
This is typical of how the city does business, doing an end run around the issue and get the former Mayor to do the deed. Read the story below, and please don’t be fooled like we were in 2000. Be smarter than we were and vote NO on the Park Bond.