[Credit: Canyon News]
The Laurel Canyon dog park finds itself to be a battleground: kids versus dogs. As the Canyon News reports, the hill-dwelling bourgeois have created controversy over whether the dog park should be bifurcated into two parks. One park would remain a leash-free dog park, and the other park would become a dog-free (but still leash-free) kiddie park. Both sides have nothing better to do are ready for action. Nearby residents increasingly have more children and want a place to dump bring their children. But dog owners disagree and feel that dogs are much more appealing and prevalent park patrons than kids.
Joanna Marszal (21), who lives in Sherman Oaks, takes her dog Rick James to the park 3-7 days a week. When asked about how she felt about turning the park into a children’s park, she replied, “I think it’s a horrible idea. I would have to take my dog to Runyon Canyon, the next closest park, where there are no barricades. My dog will probably jump off the cliff without any barriers there.” She also mentioned that she “almost never sees kids here, but sometimes I’ll see them on the weekends with their families.” Other than that, she believes that there is “no point in making it child friendly,” because children seldom come around. God forbid that the dogs and the children be in the same park. Can they live separately but equally?
· Proposed Changes to Local Dog Park Sparks Controversy [Canyon News]