Editor:

I disagree with the restriction of Iwetemlayken Park as a leash-only park for three reasons:

1. Light use most of the year. The last two times that I ran through the park with my dog, it was after school and work hours (4 to 5:30 p.m.), and the warmest sunny weather in May. I saw no other people, with or without dogs, in the park. Perhaps July to September merit restrictions, but not other months.

2. It’s not a dog problem. Cesar Millan, TV’s Dog Whisperer, has said that dogs need three things: “exercise, discipline, and affection…in that order.” Most people reverse this order and wonder why the dog is uncontrollable. Large breed dogs and border collies (as in the story) need to run, not just walk on leash. Taking an energetic dog like this to a park under restrictive control will naturally result in a frustrated and/or aggressive dog, it seems to me. Blaming unleashed dogs for riling him does not compute.

3. It’s the ideal Dog Park. The Portland area has 23 off-leash dog parks (and unfenced areas of city parks) where naturally sociable dogs mix and play under supervision of their owners. Many other cities and communities also recognize these needs of dogs.

Iwetemlayken is off-leash dog heaven, and there is little reason to restrict this use. I carry plastic baggies to pick up after my dog Max, and he doesn’t fight or dig. Fine the offenders, not the “good dogs”.

Rob Kemp and Max

Joseph