More Dog Park Drama

Picture from the condo's website
(I added the arrow)

We have a dog park in my small beach town, and it is a major pain in the butt. I've discussed some of the dog park drama and the lack of dog park etiquette in the past. Well, things have just gotten worse.

When the dog park was built 10 years ago, it was nestled behind some businesses and next to a wooded lot. Great care was taken to keep the dog park patrons away from the nearby church grounds. (Mostly) everybody was happy.

Two years ago the wooded lot was bought and razed. Then waaay too many expensive condos were built in its place. Many people were unhappy.


Condo layout from the site
(The dog park is clearly marked)

The condo developers jumped through hoops to work with the City. The pond in the dog park was enlarged to accommodate the construction. The developers removed the debris that the patrons fussed about. (The site used to be a dump.) The developers also redesigned the south end of the park, adding trees and attractive fencing as part of the deal.

People have been in the condos for about 6 months, and now we're getting complaints from the residents about barking, especially in the cooler early morning hours. Seriously!

The dog park doesn't officially open until 7:30 AM. However, the RFID key card reader lets people in anytime. Surely the IT department could fix that with a simple program update. NO! When I brought it up, you'd think I was asking them to cure cancer. Instead, I had to go in at 6 AM to handle the problem. I spent an hour and a half sitting at the park telling early birds to go get a cup of coffee and come back at 7:30. Most of them were annoyed but understanding.

Just wondering, why would people choose to live next to a dog park if they can't bear to hear dogs barking? I guess we'll call it job security. I've said it before, "Stupid people pay my mortgage." -- K