The
Lexington Minuteman
Park
promotes sense of belonging
http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/news/opinions/letters/x576543036/Park-promotes-sense-of-belonging
By
Sharon Olofsson/Hill Street
Posted Oct 08, 2009
@ 05:12 AM
Lexington —
I have been visiting
Willards Woods with my kids and dogs almost every day since we moved to
Lexington a few years ago. Letting the dogs play off-leash at Willards is one
of my favorite things about living in Lexington, and if dogs were banned there
my family would be devastated.
There is a wonderful
sense of community among the dog-people at the Woods. I have made so many
friends from all walks of life there: young and old, CEOs and unemployed,
stay-at-home moms who go while the kids are at school, those who come before or
after work.
What we all have in
common is the love and companionship of dogs, for whom we go to Willards in
rain, sleet and snow.
I believe that
Willards Woods is a treasure for everyone to enjoy, and I know that we
dog-people co-exist peacefully with non-dog-people.
In the more than
1,000 miles I’ve traversed there I’ve met joggers, bikers, walkers, children in
strollers and sleds, elderly people with walking sticks. I have never seen an
altercation between those with and those without dogs.
There are certainly
those who do not pick up after their dogs, but they are in the minority. The
majority of dog owners that visit Willards are responsible, leash their dogs at
the entry as required, keep their dog under voice command, and pick up after
them.
In fact, in just the
past week I have already gathered more than 100 signatures from both dog owners
and non-dog-owners urging the Conservation Commission to continue allowing dogs
off-leash at Willards Woods.