What's wrong with this picture?
Today we start a new game: What's Wrong With This Picture? To play, just examine the daily post of a Portland park scene and try to spot the reason that people cannot be exercising with their off-leash dog. (Secret hint: you probably won't find any problems!) We start with two pictures. The first, of Colonel Summers Park, was taken at 11:30 am on August 19, 2004. Colonel Summers is a large park that, for many in closest SE Portland, is the only park in walking distance, but no dogs are allowed to run there. I'll provide a picture of it each day sometime between 9am and 4pm (the supposed peak-usage hours). I'll try to include bonus pictures of other parks as well.
(Note: sorry for the small size. I can provide full-size images on request.)
Today's bonus park is Sunnyside. This is also a no-off-leash-dogs-allowed park, though it's usually just a big empty field in the middle of a high-dog neighborhood. This was taken Aug. 18 at 5pm.
Though these pictures will be of only a few parks near me, you can bet a box of dog bisquits that most of the 129 dog-feasible parks in town look just the same in the daytime. Also note how green and manicured the grass is....just how much do we spend on keeping these fields nice for the occasional ballgame?
posted by 2pups Link
3 comments
3 Comments:
Sewalcrest Park is pretty busy--and most of the people who bring their dogs to the park do it around the same time everybody else goes to the park: before work, after work, and on the weekends.
The green isn't from watering; no sprinklers in the parks that I've seen. Mowing gets done less often than I have to mow my lawn to keep the City off my back.
My son was bit by an offleash dog 10 years ago at Sewalcrest Park. The owners jumped up, picked up their picnic basket and blanket, and fled with the dog before we could even determine if he needed medical attention.
I'm sorry your son was bit. The County's own statistics indicate that that is a rare event in parks. The owner(s) should have acted responsibly and they didn't. That's not right.
I think I understand your point, though: Someone got bit by a dog at Sewellcrest park 10 years ago, so we should now ban all off-leash activities from the park.
I got knocked down by a bike-rider at Laurelhurst in the spring. He apologized and felt bad, but I don't see why others should be banned from riding their bikes in Laurelhurst.
Another point: if there are times, like you say, when the park is "pretty busy", why not limit dog activities to a certain area during those hours? The current rules squeeze everyone's use into a few hours a day, instead of spreading it out.
Oh, and I'm not sure how often you go to Sewellcrest, but none of pictures you commented on are of that park. In your honor, though, I've added it as the bonus park for today. The grass sure is green and short. ;-)
You know, a drunk driver sideswiped my car about eight years ago, so I think we should shut down all the bars at 3pm...
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