Would that half of these people in an uproar over dog parks showed equal interest in other township issues? Whatever, people have a right to find their community passions where the paw fits....

Dog owners growling at lack of park
By Cheryl Allison

Proponents of dog parks - parks where dogs can run and play off-leash - say it isn't just the canines that benefit from opportunities for socialization. Their owners also get to meet and make new friends, a plus for strong communities.They proved that point last week at a board of commissioners meeting in Lower Merion. With little notice, by word of mouth spread mostly over games of fetch, more than 50 turned out to press their case.

But the impromptu rally may also have reinforced a different point of view: that because of the unpredictable or bad behavior of a few, public officials can't ignore the potential conflicts between dogs on the loose and other park users.

The tone of what turned out to be a nearly two-hour exchange was generally positive, though residents told commissioners that, frankly, they feel they've been hounded from place to place, as enforcement of leash laws has been stepped up.

Some said they have the group organized and ready that township officials say is necessary to manage a dedicated dog park....The dialogue got heated, though, when one speaker, Dr. Jan Weber of Gladwyne, wanted to know what "data" the township had on conflicts in the parks. "You have solved a problem that doesn't exist," he suggested. "It's another example of government trying to do what's best by taking away our freedoms."

Commissioners thought Weber went too far, though, when he suggested that, in the most recent crackdown at Rolling Hill Park, they might be favoring wealthier constituents who ride horses there over dog owners who may be less affluent - and perhaps don't contribute to their election campaigns.

Leash laws - well posted at township parks - are "not a new restriction." They are the long-standing rule in Lower Merion and elsewhere, Commissioner Phil Rosenzweig responded. What's more, he reminded the group, the room could as easily be "filled with residents who are greatly in fear of dogs in general and dogs off-leash in particular."

"It's absolutely unacceptable," he told Weber, "that you got up and excoriated this board for being as protective of the rights of other people as of yours."....Off-leash dogs have become a dilemma not only on township properties. Colette Speakman, manager of the Merion Tribute House, said the issue has "come up at many of our board meetings." In the past, the board has hired security to police the grounds, and it's investigating doing so again, she said.

The Tribute House "was intended for community use. We welcome dogs on leash," as signs on the grounds indicated, Speakman said. But, "Guests have had dogs jump up on them. Kids have been scared." Owners have been "really belligerent."

A community resource like the Tribute House "will only survive," Speakman said, "with the respect of the community."

You know, Colette Speakman is absolutely correct.