Cape Girardeau needs off-leash park for dogs

To the editor:

I am not a dog owner, but I have access to a delightful beast whom I am frequently asked to enervate. We exercise leashed, according to Cape Girardeau's ordinances. I think he finds his walks to be somewhat mundane and limited in scope and his walker's pace slow. Although allowed to sniff and occasionally greet other dogs, I know he longs to be free to run, to chase balls and to explore with freedom loving canine friends.

Think of the pleasure a park where dogs are free to roam would provide for our community. It would be a social environment for man's best friend and a chat station for exhausted walkers to compare and proclaim the attributes of their wards.

Some of us may be part of the aging population, unable to run through the rough or to bound through the bushes ourselves. But we can still appreciate the sweet taste of freedom and the importance of friends. What an opportunity. What a need for those to whom we owe so much.

Let us make available an off-leash park for dogs.

ERICA McBRIDE

Cape Girardeau