Readers respond

I just wanted to comment on the Dog Park hours that have changed. Now,

the Dog Park closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on Sunday, I’m not

sure about the closing on Saturdays.

I know many, many Huntington Beach residents used Dog Park after 6

p.m. because of having to work all day. Their dogs enjoyed, probably more

than other owners’ dogs, the chance to exercise in the evening with their

owners.

What I don’t understand is why the City Council, to pass this law, had

their meeting right after the terrorist tragedy in New York, and why more

people who love and care about Dog Park weren’t told that this meeting

was going to go ahead and be held.

When five people can dictate what many other tax paying residents can

or cannot do, it can become very dangerous. Are these five people going

to tell us next that we can’t walk around the lake of the Central Park

with our children? I know that sounds absurd, but that is how

dictatorships and groups in control start. It’s rather frightening to me

as a Huntington Beach homeowner.

I have been at Dog Park since the new hours have been set and

purposely sat inside of the dog park and simply listened to which was

louder -- the dogs or the traffic on Edwards Street. Undoubtedly, the

traffic was much worse and basically drowned out any dog that barked at

that time.

I think these five people who took it upon themselves to pass this law

about the Dog Park hours must hate where they live due to the amount of

traffic on Edwards and simply take it out on Dog Park.

I have seen the improvements that Dog Park lovers have made to make

this park simply wonderful. The tarp put up along the fence between the

large dog side and the small dog side, for instance, to keep them truly

separate. The Dog Park volunteers have gone out of their way to make the

park a great place to exercise your dog and also have great socialization

for the dog and his or her owners.

I hate to say this, but there is no loud barking that goes on after 6

p.m in dog park, and if the residents who live across Edwards would just

listen to the traffic for a moment I think they would realize they are

mistaking automobile noise for dog barking. There just isn’t the type of

barking going on in Dog Park to make these new hours.

It is rather obvious that the five people who voted these new laws in

are either biased against dogs or just hate where they live and don’t

want anymore cars coming into their area to use dog park after 6 p.m.,

which might make even more noise than there is now from the cars driving

on Edwards Street anyway.

Jodi Evans

Huntington Beach