Editor,
I’m sure my dog Oliver would love to join the crowd of dogs protesting the ongoing closure of the dog park depicted in the cartoon you published last week in your “Letters” section!
Face it, it’s the only place in the city where dogs can run and play legally off-leash. But there is good reason the park is closed, and that is to preserve the turf from lasting damage. When soaked, the grass is vulnerable and the impact of hundreds of dogs running back and forth could leave the park a barren, beaten open lot when the skies finally clear. It’s not the mud or the mess that concerns our parks department; that’s our problem, as dog lovers. Their attention is on the preservation of the open expanse of grass. City workers are checking the ground every day and deciding when conditions will be right for re-opening.
To save yourself a trip into the canyon, log onto the city’s website www.lagunabeachcity.net and check to see if the park is open. The site is updated daily.
So, despite Oliver’s whines and longing looks, we are staying away from the park until the time is right. I love the green grass and am willing to be patient. Astroturf and wood chips are all-weather surfaces, but they just aren’t the same!!
Cindy Waldman, Laguna Beach
The author is president of Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park
Oliver may be accustomed to having his canine needs left unmet with such nonchalance, but Mrs Pickles (as you know) is far more sensitive. Like a finely tuned Russian ballet dancer, her beautifully toned body requires constant nurturing. Any deviation from her daily, nay, hourly ritual laced schedule could throw her from the physical and emotional perfection on which we all rely. She make us all better people.
The City of Laguna has recently voted to vastly reduce the length of its working week. Global warming, while unproven in its cause, is certainly a factor in the recent increase in rainfall in these parts. I for one am outraged at the lack of understanding shown by both our civic leaders and our meteorological systems for the welfare of Mrs Pickles. I shall be making a speech to this effect at Saturday’s Women’s Day event.