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| Photo by Maggie Smith - freedigitalphotos.net |
Establishing a Dog Park: A Chicago Success Story
By Steve Dale
Just four years, ago there wasn't a single safe place in this city of more than 750,000 dogs to legally play off a leash. Now, there are ten dog friendly areas with more on the way, including dog friendly beach spaces, which will sprout up along the shores of Lake Michigan next spring.
Chicago's recipe for creating dog friendly green places requires grass roots neighborhood support. Dog owners and non-dog owners work together creating solutions to problems where they live.
Mayor Richard M. Daley barks, "Most dog owners are responsible people. Like anything else, you have to give opportunities to those people who prove they are responsible. They deserve a place for their dogs to walk and swim. It's all part of getting along with one another in a big city."
Read the full story here.
Interesting post. That was written quite a while ago, for sure. What readers should consider, I think, is first, the fundamental importance of community involvement - a point made several times in the article - and second, whether or not things have 'improved' since the 1990's. If you look at recently constructed 'dog friendly areas' they are getting smaller and smaller, and less and less dog friendly. It's critical that dog owners raise their voice and not simply accept the CPD status quo!
ReplyDeleteWe couldn't agree more - dog parks are getting smaller and smaller. We were disappointed to see the size of the dog areas in the proposed park plans get smaller. We are however, glad to have another space. It is absolutely critical for dog owners to raise their voice. Thank you!
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