St. Paul panel OKs plan to expand number of dog parks in city

OK, people who think that their "little" dogs need a special dog park separated from other dogs do NOT understand dogs. Dogs do not understand size differences. Dog psychology is pretty simple. Dogs are dogs. If you treat a dog differently because your dog is "small and cute," you will create problems that would otherwise not exist. People who treat their dogs the way Paris Hilton treats hers are bound to create problems. They would be better served treating their little dogs the same way people treat larger dogs. The dog would be happier, and the owner would notice a better behaved dog.

Yay! More dog parks mean more places to take our dogs, go meet people, and enjoy our beautiful Minnesota nature! Great Job, St. Paul! I love living here!

Way to go St. Paul, it will be awesome to have e few dog parks on the West Side!

Things like this are what make St. Paul a great place to live! We love spending time outdoors with our dogs - winter or summer. But there needs to be more dog friendly parks where we can spend time with friends and fellow dog lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Great job, St. Paul!

I am eagerly awaiting the two new dog parks in St. Paul. Thanks Dave for writing this story!

Just don't tax me for it! I like dogs, but I don't own one. I'm not paying for your dog park. As far as I'm concerned, the City of Saint Paul may feel free to assess fees to dog owners to pay for it. Yes, I think dogs parks are great; No, I'm not footing the bill.

Wow - don't tell me you don't have any money.

St. Paul really needs addtional dog parks, animals and people need the oppotrtunity to socialize. It really is a win, win for the city.

R U Nuts Ed?

Resident wrote:

Wow - don't tell me you don't have any money.

In this ecomomy, I won't for much longer.

There will always be public amenities that not everyone can/will make use of. Yet, we, as taxpayers help to pay for them. As a dog owner, with no kids, I'm willing to help pay for public education and amenities that I don't use and I would hope that other taxpayers would understand and be willing to pay for some amenities that they don't use. With gas prices the way they are, I welcome the idea of a park near or on the West Side that we might be able to walk to, rather than having to drive further afield.

West sider wrote:

There will always be public amenities that not everyone can/will make use of. Yet, we, as taxpayers help to pay for them. As a dog owner, with no kids, I'm willing to help pay for public education and amenities that I don't use and I would hope that other taxpayers would understand and be willing to pay for some amenities that they don't use. With gas prices the way they are, I welcome the idea of a park near or on the West Side that we might be able to walk to, rather than having to drive further afield.

Excellent. I agree 100 precent.

Just plain Joe wrote:

Just don't tax me for it! I like dogs, but I don't own one. I'm not paying for your dog park. As far as I'm concerned, the City of Saint Paul may feel free to assess fees to dog owners to pay for it. Yes, I think dogs parks are great; No, I'm not footing the bill.

I don't have kids, so my tax money shouldn't be used for playgrounds... I don't own a boat, so my tax money shouldn't be used for public access... I don't drive in the west metro, so my tax money shouldn't be used on those roads...sheesh!

At some point, you just have to accept that not every single item funded by taxes is going to personally benefit you.

Resident wrote:

Wow - don't tell me you don't have any money.

Yeah, putting a fence around an unused bit of City property will bankrupt a community for sure. And of course, the idea that regularly socialized dogs are less likely to bite or attack people (or other animals) doesn't translate into dollars either, huh?

Woof, woof, bark, aeow, bark woof, woof ,woof, aeow, woof.

http://tinyurl.com/dogpark1

http://tinyurl.com/dogpark2

As a dog owner, I would love a dog park. But those who don't have dogs shouldn't have to foot the bill!

The city shouldn't worry about that little problem of property owner's taxes going through the roof. Solve the important problems like flippin dog parks.

Thanks for the new mountain bike trail! That's what the dog park is going to end up as anyway.