Dog Owners Vs. The Parks

I recently read this article on NPR  http://www.npr.org/2012/02/25/147349447/whos-a-park-for-dog-owners-fight-park-service?sc=fb&cc=fp. The gist of the article, dog owners are upset that they are having to leash their pets at the Rancho Corral de Tierra, a new addition to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Also, they are nervous after an incident where someone walking their dogs off leash got tasered. It should be noted that this individual did not stop when the ranger tried to give them a ticket and then proceeded to give the officer a false name. Anyway, rangers are trying to save an endangered plant in this area, and don't want the potential of them being trampled on by a dog.

So, what do you think about all of this? Here are my two cents. While dogs are beloved companions, we have to respectful of the fact that these parks are trying to preserve natural wildlife areas. Many parks do have dog friendly areas, and so owners can be mindful of that and take their furry friends there. I live right near Rock Creek Park where dogs are supposed to be leashed, but they usually never are. I'm greeted by many a puppy on my weekend hikes. Often, their owners are not far behind, however, there have been instances where the owner was nowhere in sight. Some people are not comfortable around dogs, so I would hope that as an owner, you would be nearby in that case.

And while I love dogs, they can sometimes do horrible things. I won't recount the full story, but a lady walking her dog in our neighborhood lost control of her two large dogs and they cornered and injured our neighbors cat so badly it had to be put down. This sort of thing would happen in a wildlife area where protected wildlife could be injured instead.

So, let's remember, National Parks are for both dog owners and non-dog owners. The parks try to make accommodations for dog owners by providing areas where dogs can be taken along. I would hope dog owners would apply the same respect and understanding as to why some areas are just off limits to dogs, or ask that dogs be leashed.