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LETTER: We need an off-leash dog park

Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of letters from students in teacher Jennifer Mansour’s class at Learning Expeditions. The students are in grades 7 to 12.

Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of letters from students in teacher Jennifer Mansour’s class at Learning Expeditions. The students are in grades 7 to 12.  If you would like to get your class involved in writing letters —  includes a visit from The Chief editorial staff — email jthuncher@squamishchief.com.

Squamish proclaims itself as the outdoor recreation capital of Canada so why isn’t it dog friendly?

Here in Squamish, there are only two off-leash dog parks. Both are places I do not want to take my dogs. The first is dark, shaded by overgrown trees and the ground is constantly soaked due to water coming in from the higher buildings around it. The second is nothing better and has sharp gravel. My dog has ripped his paw trying to play in this area. The overall appearance of the parks is lacking: there are no benches, bowls for a thirsty pup, or even enough space for a dog larger than 10 pounds to stretch its legs. I might as well just stay in my back yard or go somewhere with regulated leash laws in order to avoid injury or accidents. Often, I end up traveling out of town just to let my dogs play, but that being said, most dog owners I know take their four-legged companions to Newport Beach. It’s a fun place, but is not fenced, which highly increases the likelihood of lost and runaway dogs. It isn’t even legal to have your dog off-leash here meaning that if animal control showed up, they could whisk your dog away and cost you a large fine. With new developments in the downtown area, it would be an excellent time to reserve a lot that could become a new dog park giving tourists and residents a safe place to exercise their dogs and meet like-minded people living in this area.

As Squamish grows, our population heightens and the number of dogs living here goes up with it. There is a growing need for a dog park and without it we increase the amount of accidents and injuries, unhappy residents and tourists, and most importantly — unhappy dogs.

Emily Polman

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