Dear Sir:
Re: “Dogs roam city park,” a letter to the editor in the Sept. 11, 2013 issue of The Terrace Standard.
I have lived in Terrace almost my entire life.
I own a small very friendly dog. My response to this letter may be different from most.
While I am a dog owner I also have three kids. One of them is three years old. I have been to this park many times over the years and actually have plans to go there tomorrow with my toddler after I visit the library.
This park is central. So is the field. I am still loving the person who took it upon themselves to remove the bottoms of the trees there where people would sleep in. Since then this park has been much better!
While I personally have never been approached by any dog at this park in the years I have taken my children there I do agree that every person has the right to take their kids to the park without having to worry about a dog jumping on their toddler or child or making them uncomfortable in any way.
Not everyone has a dog. I think most people that take their pet there are exercising their pet and as a local animal advocate I say – good for them. There are so many chained and ignored, this makes me happy to see.
Perhaps the park itself could be fenced or Terrace could finally make a dog park somewhere.
I too have had unpleasant experiences over the years with loose dogs in various places here in Terrace, but none there, although I do see the letter writers’s point.
The owner generally has no control over their dog or is delusional about how “friendly” their dog really is – when this has happened to me I try to report it to the appropriate authorities.
But for the most part I think it’s great that we have a local area for people to bring their pets and let them run around.
If you have suggestions of a better place or would like to see this park fenced or see a dog park in this community, I encourage you to bring those suggestions to the city council.
Danielle Lavoie,
Terrace, B.C.
