I propose that we apply the same rules to our dogs. I would pay extra for a license that would allow me to walk my dog off-leash in any Denver city park. I have a comprehensive and personal liability insurance policy with a limit of $100,000 that covers everything from dog bites to bar fights that I can show proof of. My dog is current in his vaccinations, and I can provide proof of that. I am responsible for my dog's actions and will sign a waiver to that effect.
This is an option that will raise revenue that can be used for the Denver Dumb Friends League or a spay-and-neuter program. This option will allow me to walk my dog in my neighborhood park, where my dog and I know the other dogs and their owners. This option is also less costly than the plan to install fences in areas of existing parks, to the tune of approximately $50,000 per enclosure. This option will not create scars such as the ones that will be created if we install dog runs in our parks.
Go check out the off-leash park in Aurora on Quincy. It is dirt, dirt and more dirt. I propose that we designate certain hours that dogs can be off-leash in all parks. How about early morning, late evening and any time the temperature drops below 32 degrees? If we realistically approach the issue, we can make it a win-win situation for us all. Let's think outside the box, not just copy other programs. We're a world-class city! Let's be innovative! Lead the pack! Don't just follow!
Paula Saraceno
Denver
Cheesman bark:As president of DenFIDOS and a Cheesman Park resident, I write regarding "The Straight Poop," Amy Haimerl's story about the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation's proposal for an off-leash dog area there.
DenFIDOS wants to emphasize that we, too, recognize Cheesman Park as one of the "crown jewels" of Denver's park system, and we want to keep it that way. Because of the actions of responsible dog owners who don't want to lose the privilege of off-leash areas, parks with such areas actually tend to have less dog waste in them than do other parks. DenFIDOS already has shown significant commitment in this regard by organizing volunteer "poop patrols," and we have pledged to continue to do so in all off-leash areas.
Additionally, designating a specific off-leash area in Cheesman's north meadow will separate dogs from other park users by several hundred feet -- a much safer alternative to the current use of the heavily populated south meadow by the longstanding "renegade dog runners" noted in Ms. Haimerl's article. Moreover, an off-leash area in the north meadow would increase use of the park's north end by law-abiding citizens, thus reducing the amount of criminal activity that currently goes on there.
I do want to clarify one point in the article suggesting that DenFIDOS "would prefer that any dog parks be fenced." Actually, while we support fencing in certain parks and circumstances, we also believe that in others it may create as many problems as it solves. Dedicating an area within a park to a single use and foreclosing that area to any other use may be even more objectionable to more people. Cheesman illustrates this wonderfully: By simply restricting off-leash use to clearly defined times of day outside times of peak usage, the proposed area could be left open to general non-dog use at all other times.
One of the real strengths of the Parks and Rec proposal is that it distributes off-leash areas throughout the city, thereby ensuring that no single park becomes a destination for dogs from distant areas of the city. If Cheesman is not part of the proposal as implemented, people and their dogs from this area will be forced to drive to other parks to take advantage of off-leash privileges. This will exacerbate Denver's already unbearable traffic problems, as well as subject other off-leash areas to significantly increased use and damage, thus setting up the entire proposal for failure.
Today there are approximately 600 off-leash areas in the U.S., and that number continues to grow because of their overall success. There simply is no reason to believe that such areas will be any less successful in our city.
Tad Rogers
DenFIDOS
Bands on the Run
Group therapy:Regarding John La Briola's "Front and Center," in the April 17 issue:
I wonder if you were really thinking about Paul Fonfara's career, or the way this article would affect his relationship with the people that he interacts with. Most of the people in his current band were also people in some of his past bands; I know some of these people, and I can't help but wonder if printing his dismissive comment about bands being bullshit was really an error in judgment on your part. Paul has his problems, but at the same time, I'm wondering about airing them so...fully.
I know that stories with spice are a better read, but you may have done more harm than good with this one -- for everyone involved. As a journalist, John La Briola should have more responsibility than what he's shown.
Erin Nelson
Denver
