Letter: Dog Park Changes

By Lenore Lawrence

For those familiar with the Ft. Steilacoom dog park, the main entrance is being upgraded by a Boy Scout group. Their work is beautiful and really improves the entrance not only for dogs but for humans too. It will allow people with mobility issues much easier access to the park.

The dog park works on an honor system. People pitch in and carry water in donated jugs from the spigot to the shelter. This means water access not only at the spigot, but also at the picnic table shelter.

At the entrances, dog waste bags are available. Some people bring regular used grocery store bags to donate. The “fancy” bags are very expensive so the additional bags help keep maintenance costs down.

I took my dog to the park several days ago. There were no full water bowls or jugs at the spigot or the shelter. I filled the bowls and the jugs.

The waste bag dispenser was empty and there were no grocery bags. Fortunately I didn’t need a waste bag that day.

Today, I took the dog to the park with a bag in my pocket. The water was in pretty bad shape but I got it fixed up. Then I was playing ball with the dog. I realized by the number of piles of dog poop that many folks have stopped picking up the waste. This is a basic part of the honor system. I’ll be taking grocery bags tomorrow.

Please, follow the honor system. It is not hard to take a bag. Keep the park clean and safe for everyone who uses the dog park.

Thank you.