Beach Carries Proof of Dogs’ Downside

I want to applaud the homeowners in Thousand Oaks who successfully defeated the proposed dog park in their neighborhood.

If anyone needed an example of how an area can be ruined, take a look at Silverstrand Beach. We are allowed to have dogs on a leash at our beach and signs are posted with the ordinances to clean up dog droppings.

Yet you cannot stroll anywhere on the beach without seeing piles of dog droppings. Responsible pet owners like myself try to set an example, but people come from miles around to run their pets on the beach and never bother to clean up after their pets.

Calls to Ventura County Animal Control are answered with the reply that they do not respond to our area due to budget cuts. Yet we all send in our property checks every year. Calls and letters to Supervisor John Flynn go unanswered mostly due to his animosity to Silverstrand residents and his paltry 30% of the vote in the last election.

ROBERT H. LAUNIUS, Channel Islands