Parks and Recreation

Hooray for public parks! We love 'em. Most Saturdays you'll find our family recreating at one of the many lovely parks in our area -- playing a competitive game of croquet, getting in some batting practice (Mike), enjoying a family picnic, making new friends and more. 

Another family favorite is watching the TV show, Parks and Recreation. Hilarious. Ron Swanson is our favorite character – hands down. But Leslie Knope is the do-er. The go-to woman to get things done. She is the show's deputy director of the parks and recreation department in Pawnee (a fictional town in Indiana).  Although quirky, she is tirelessly dedicated to her job and ensuring the best possible park experiences for the town's residents. Since Mike and I have been watching the show, we've come up with an issue that we would love for Leslie Knope to address in our city. (Ron, we know, couldn’t care less.) So here it is. The one drawback to our public parks? The dogs.

Unleashed dogs, to be more specific. While Mike and I are not really "dog people" -- and probably never will be -- we don't begrudge others who are. It's simply a matter of preference.  Some prefer to be "dog parents;" we prefer to be parents to a Justin. 

That said, we have beef with a growing minority of dog owners who don't heed the "leash your dog" rule posted throughout parks. You know, the ones who take their dogs to the park to let 'em go, sans leash, to chew on others' sports equipment, jump on small children, poop on the field, and fight with other dogs -- all the while these owners seem contentedly oblivious? Ugh. To these irresponsible dog parents we say, "Leash the dogs, people."  Oh, and please don't reassure us, after your dog has raced full-speed across a field to "meet" our child, that your canine "baby" just wants to make a friend. That may be, but most of us don't make friends by pouncing first.  Our kid doesn't like it and we don't either.  Let your dogs run and play at one of the several designated dog parks in our city. We know it's a pain to load up your "baby" and drive him/her such-and-such-a-distance from your home to a designated park. Such is life. We know. Welcome to "parenthood."

So, Leslie Knope, whaddaythink?  Resolve this issue and you have our vote for City Council!