Submitted by Dave Hock
Thank you for publishing “In the Name of Safety, City Will Fence Cays Dog Park.”
My understanding is that it is to protect children at and near the playground. I have to question the effectiveness of this approach.
Let me start with saying that I am a dog lover and I properly use the dog run with my pup.
A fence will have little effect without enforcement. I have seen patrol cars ride right by as dogs are running all over the soccer fields. I once flagged down and spoke with an officer and he said he didn’t notice. In that case, it was two large Doberman pinschers running between the firehouse and the tennis courts.
The folks that follow the rules will keep their dogs in the fenced area, as they always did when there was no fence.
The folks that don’t follow the rules will ignore the fence….unless there is enforcement.
If we want to protect children in the playground, why not fence that in? That would also prevent kids from running in the street.
Instead of a fence, why not enforce the existing ordinance? You get a warning for the first violation and a substantial fine for the second.
We need to do a better job of analyzing the potential outcomes of our legislation. Passing laws without enforcement are nothing more than campaign talking points.
Thank you
Dave Hock
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