To the editor:
The proposed dog park was voted down at the Bristol town meeting. Following my presentation, discussion was dominated by three people who could only foresee dog fights, people getting injured, lawsuits, huge piles of dog poo, and a river of dog urine.
Their closed minds wouldn’t let them see any of the positives of a dog park, like happy dogs running and playing together and learning the rules of socialization, dog owners amiably socializing, all overseen by caring volunteers to ensure rules were being followed and the park kept peaceful and clean. They just didn’t get it.
And where were the 170-plus people who signed the petition for the dog park? Only a handful were at the meeting and not a single one spoke up and shared their support for the park. We had our chance and now it’s gone, all for the want of a few more votes.
I am disappointed by how anti-dog Bristol is. There is no place in this community where a dog can legally be off-leash. For those who don’t understand why this is so unrealistic, think of a horse who is kept confined to its stall and not allowed to run with other horses.
We (well, most of us) register our dogs each year and pay the fee, only to have our dogs be looked upon as Public Enemy No. 1.
