A recent post on Facebook looking to get a dog park going has stirred up a bunch of crap with some people in town.
You know the ones: “We had a dog park before nobody picked up their dogs crap so the district closed it down.”
Which sort of already flies in the face of the commenter who posted “I guarantee it will turn into an eye sore that smells like crap because no one will want to clean up the mess long term.”
The same person went on to add: “Also inevitably someone’s dog will get attacked by another dog that shouldn’t be loose at the park.”
Or: “Why in Tumbler do we need a dog park ? there endless miles of empty land all around this community. One more item to be taxed on. I guess people just want big city status stuff.”
From the top: There has never been an actual dog park in Tumbler Ridge. People have taken places that are not currently being used for other purposes and let their dogs run there. In this case, the person seemed to be talking about where the new Fairgrounds are, which was previously a ball diamond.
Between it’s time as a ball park and a Fairground, it was also a lay down area for one of the wind projects, which is when it got fenced in fully. There were periods of time when it was not in use for any of these things, which is when people would take their dogs there. It was not an official dog park, though.
These days, people have moved on to another ball diamond. Well, people are taking their dogs anywhere they please, but many people have circled around the most northwestern ball diamond of the three diamonds near the stables. Someone built a pair of doors to control the space, while others have tied doggie doo bags every dozen feet or so to the fence.
And, while it is true that not everyone cleans up after their dogs, I’ve noticed a number of times when the poo would start piling up one day, and then the next it would be gone.
Assuming that this wasn’t the work of the poop fairy, I assume that someone or a group of someones actually cared enough about keeping the place clean (if only for the sake of keeping their dogs out of the crap) to clean the place up.
Will a dog get attacked at a dog park? Dogs (and people) are already getting attacked as is, possibly because there is no safe space where these dogs can be taken.
And it’s not fair to assume that the people willing to put the work into creating a dog park won’t be willing to put in the work to maintain the place.
As for taking the dogs out into the bush, there are people in this community who are not able to walk their dogs in the bush due to health reasons. There are people here who are not able to drive and let their dogs run behind the car.
There are people who are perfectly capable of walking or driving their dogs in the bush but whose dog might decide to chase after the wildlife, or where the wildlife might chase after the pet. Or the pet owner.
According to the BC Wildlife Act, it is illegal to allow your pets to chase wildlife and can lead to the destruction of your dog. So taking your dog into the bush to run free? Comes with risks, not the least of which is encountering a bear. And if a dog encounters a bear, guess who it’s gonna come running to?
The town is getting much more stringent in enforcing dogs in town off leash within town limits. There is now a zero tolerance policy. If your dog is off your property and not on leash, you get a fine. At which point in time people can reasonably be motivated to come up with an alternative than just letting their dogs roam in the bush.
People are complaining that dogs are pooping in their front yards, not realizing that this may just be the solution to their problem.
Of course, it might not be. I’m reminded of the ATV club. The ATV club promotes responsible riding. They promote playing by the rules, even when those rules suck. But some yahoo who is not a member of the club goes tearing about town or takes their motorcycle into Holzworth Meadows, and guess who gets blamed?
And as for this coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket? The town might be paying for a portion of this, but right now we have a group of people who live here who are getting together to look for solutions to issues, rather than just complaining.
Indeed, district staff has proposed building a dog park twice in the last decade, but it’s been shot down by council, because they wanted to see a group of responsible people step up and take ownership of the project. And who knows? It might not cost the taxpayers anything at all. There are, after all, grants available to fund dog parks.
Do we need a dog park? No. Just like I don’t need a place where I can discharge a firearm safely, or someone else might never visit the arena. But this is a community, made up of more than just individuals, and I’d rather live in a community where we support people who want to make the place better. I don’t care much about cars, but if someone wants to host a show and shine on district property? Great. I don’t play disc golf, but I’m glad to see the WNMS pushing for a course in town. Anything that might make living in Tumbler Ridge better/more enjoyable for even a portion of the community, I’m going to at least entertain that it might be a good idea, rather than write it off as a bad one.
Yes, you are within your rights to ask questions, especially if it will affect taxes or quality of living. But rather than coming at it from the point of view of “what a stupid idea”, maybe actually ask questions, like “how will it work? What will it cost? Where will it be? What will the rules be? What happens if someone doesn’t clean up after their dog?” And then—and this is going to be tough—listen to the answers.
Once you have the facts at your disposal, you can choose to either support it, oppose it or—and again, this one will be really, really hard for a lot of people—decide that it doesn’t affect you and ignore it.”
Because right now, there’s a people running around town and crapping on other people’s ideas, hopes and dreams.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
