Time for a change!

Hello everyone,

As many of you know every year I start a new project where the dogs are concerned, well this year is no different! The cause I am on for 2015 is trying to get the by-law changed where the Belleville dog park is concerned. I have been on the phone for two days straight now with city hall trying to find the right person to speak with and finally found our guy! No pun intended but I was like a dog on a bone. So here is my thoughts and please feel free to comment and have your say, good, bad or otherwise I want to hear it all. Here are some of my concerns, in no particular order. Sep 22, 2008 https://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=56817  a dog was attacked and killed by another dog in the Belleville dog park. A small child approx. 3 months old was in a stroller when a dog fight broke out, one dog jumped over the stroller knocking it over and now the baby strapped in was in the middle of the dog fight. A three year old child jumps on the back of a dog that was not hers and thankfully didn’t get bitten but could easily have gone the other way. Two dogs fight and one lets out a scream of a wounded animal, before you could blink 17 dogs now in this fight. A guy gets a bloody nose from another guy in the dog park while defending his dog from an attack to only find the owner of the aggressive dog now attacking him. Girl gets hand bitten requiring 4 stiches while defending her dog from an aggressive dog. Man gets face bitten from a free roaming dog that ran by and jumped the innocent man. Found on several occasions abandoned dogs left behind by owners who simply didn’t want them anymore. Dog gets attacked by aggressive dog requiring stitches in the ear. I can give you hundreds upon hundreds of examples but I think you catch my drift! This dog park and many, many others is a ticking time bomb! What are we waiting for? Another animal fatality? A child fatality? An ounce of prevention beats the pound of cure! Let’s stop this before it gets worse, and it will!

So what can I do?

Here is what I am trying to do, once upon a time the dog park was a positive place to go, to socialize with people, socialize our dogs and simply enjoy the park, well that no longer seems to be the case, the people and dogs the park was originally design for no longer feel safe in being there because of many bad dog owners and aggressive or unsocialized dogs that old adage one bad apple spoiled the bunch. Only it’s not one bad apple! So what can I do you may be asking? Well here is my proposal I am trying to set up a committee of good people to help us put some order into the dog park, I have been given the opportunity to form a committee of people who would volunteer their time to help us patrol the park and help weed out the aggressive people and dogs so that everyone can enjoy the park and not fear for their safety. I am going to try and set up a community meeting at a local recreation centre or here at my house to explain what it is we would like to do. I have people on a daily basis complain to me about the fears they have in our dog park AKA the good dog owners. Well here is your chance to be heard and make change rather than just complain! I CAN NOT do this myself I need to build a team of great animal owners or simply people who have the time to donate; you do not need to own a dog.

Will this really change anything?

Yes it will if we work at it as a team, I am not looking for a Band-Aid solution, nor do I want people who say they will help but don’t, if we want change we have to look to ourselves to make the change and that takes work, commitment, time and energy. I am going to build a program with the help of a few people and present it to the city council to get the bylaw changed for the dog parks; I will start with one park and go from there, who knows what will happen? I know nothing will happen if we don’t try!

What do I need?

I need you! People who are fed up with out of control dogs and their owners using the dog park as their way of getting out of being a good responsible owner! If your dog is aggressive, GET OUT! And STAY OUT! This is not for lazy people who don’t want to do the work that is required in owning a dog! Are you someone who wants to make a change? Are you someone who wants to enjoy the park for its intended use? Are you willing to stand up for what’s right and be heard? Are you willing to donate your time? Are you the person who can commit to making change? Well you are who I am looking for! No wanna be’s, no talkers, I want action to back up our words! 

Question?

Will this be you? If I build this program and take it to city hall will you join forces with me? Will you commit to making a better park? If you are who I am looking for please add a comment to this page, once I get 30 or more people signed up I will set a date to have a meeting to explain my program in detail and allow you to have input and ask questions! So what are you going to do?