There are those who do their best to exclude dogs from city centres. In downtown St. Louis though dogs are being welcomed back as an element of revival:
The role of dogs in transforming downtown into a community cannot be underestimated, said loft resident Sarah Hunt, owner of Roxie, an 8-month-old beagle-pug mix.
“The idea is get people out of their apartments, because when you get people out of their apartments, things happen,” said Hunt, a second-year St. Louis University law student.
Not so long ago, residents found much about the neighborhood beyond their doors unappealing, noted Howard Wynder, a Washington University researcher, president of Lucas Park Beautification, owner of Layla, an 120-pound “small” Great Dane and, in the words of Triplett, a “downtown pioneer.”
Wynder calls the addition of the dog run (which replaces a smaller, temporary space for canines on the east side of the park) part of a larger initiative to make all of downtown more inhabitable for residents who live in homes and those who don’t.
[Via : Going to the dogs viewed as big step toward downtown revival - STLtoday.com.]
Dogs are always a talking point. Even strangers who don’t stop to pat a dog out for a walk often smile as they go past. Dogs are likely to brighten a day, get people chatting and bring a smile to the weary.
I appreciate your effort, and plan to bring this to our city. We have secured a property in our downtown, and have met with rejection. We are a city who does not have any dog parks, or anywhere we can take our dogs other than on the sidewalk.
We have been on this project for 10 months, and your plea makes sense. I plan to use your arguement to change attitudes.
Congratualations on your work.
Bob – Cornwall Dog Park Association Chair
Thanks Bob. I’m glad this website has been useful.
You may also be interested in our sister site Run Spot Run which aims to support dogs (and their people) having fun outdoors:
http://runspotrun.info