Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Parks and Recreation For the Dogs?
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 10:16 AM
No one is ever going to accuse City Council member Barbara Swearengen Ware of liking dogs.
The City Council parks committee discussed the city's first dog park, recently opened behind the MCS administration building (and the parks division offices) on Avery, and Ware is not in favor of it.
"I don't want to spend another dime on dogs," Ware said. "We should encourage dog owners to think about what they're going to do with their dogs before they buy them."
"The reason we built this one the way we did, where we did, was because it's a test," Buchanan said. "We've been getting lots and lots of requests, going back to 2000."
"We put it across from our offices so we can keep an eye on it: Is it being used? Is it being used appropriately?" Buchanan said.
None of which seemed to satisfy Ware, who said the city shouldn't be spending money on dogs that they could be spending on people.
"I hope that there are no plans to build any more," she said. "I don't care who it's for. Why would we build an animal shelter and then build a dog park? We don't have to provide any place for people to go with their dogs. They made a conscious decision to have a dog."
Buchanan and other council members tried to explain to Ware that both the dog park and the animal shelter benefit citizens.
"It's similar to any other group of people who have similar interests. They want to come recreate and socialize with other owners," Buchanan said. "Other cities have huge dog parks. This one is very small and it was very inexpensive."
"It's not like stray dogs can show up [at the dog park], have a good time, and go back to their place," council member Shea Flinn said. "At the animal shelter ... that's a public safety thing. You can't have a bunch of strays running around."
"It's not for the dogs; it's for the people."
Comments (20)
Showing 1-20 of 20
I agree with her. I think the city should spend the money on a park where people can run freely, be able to squat wherever and whenever they like and, when the mood strikes, sniff each others' butts.
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Wow - and officials wonder why no intelligent, compassionate, progressive, responsible folks want to move to or stay in this city!! It sounds as if she is basically saying she doesn't want people to own dogs, and so it seems then that she wants the animal shelters to become extermination centers?
I would also like to point out that people make the decision to have children, no one forces them to - so heck, why are we spending all of this money on education and public playgrounds?
Memphis wants people to live here, but this is just one example of how our government just doesn't give people a good enough reason.
All of that is already happening in Overton Park, according to suburbanites who never go there.
Maybe she thinks the animal shelter is a fun place, sort of like Chuck E. Cheese for dogs.
Sounds like somebody robbed her gravy train to pay for the dog park. Maybe that $14,000 was initially earmarked for a hot tub and eight day fact-finding tour of Barbados.
You could ask her if she supports the spay/neuter ordinance. That why we can reduce the number of dogs at the shelter and spend less on dogs.
Barb is nothing if not consistent in her ability to make Memphis look really stupid. As if this is a "dogs vs. people" issue at all.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Jeff. I'm sure that Memphians who made the choice to have a dog have now made the choice not to vote for her.
ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! The first thing the city has done in a long time that actually has an immediate, positive effect on my life, and she squats and s@$#s on it. Thanks a lot. Now I remember why I keep looking for jobs elsewhere...
Seconding Doubting Thomas: I hope this means we can count on her support for a spay / neuter ordinance.
Wow no wonder national magazine articles point out how miserable a place Memphis is, it gets tiring try to defend the city when the city commissioners make comments like this.
maybe all you people with kids should build your own parks too. i have no kids, but my dogs damage less than any of these children, and i keep my dogs at home in their yard. so if it's not the city's responsibility to provide for my dogs, why is it our responsibility to provide for your children????? keep your kids home. and close those pools down too!
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