I am writing this letter to encourage our community to construct a dog park as an additional amenity that Newberry can offer to its citizens, guests and the traveling public.
Dogs need a place where they can get more exercise than only by walking on a leash. They also need a place where they can socialize and interact with other dogs.
Newberry has Lynches Woods and a couple of nice parks that provide good locations for our citizens to walk their dogs. But unfortunately, there isn’t a place where the dogs can run free in a safe environment, a confined area and play with other dogs.
Driving around town recently, I’ve seen quite a few people walking their dogs. It occurred to me that our citizens would like to have a dog park where their dogs could be more active than they can be when they are on a leash.
I’ve also noticed that more hotels and restaurants are advertising that they are ‘dog friendly.’ It seems only logical that this is because more people are traveling with their pets. If Newberry had a dog park that was promoted online or with billboards on the highway, it could serve as a drawing card to bring more tourists into our community.
As my wife and I have traveled across the country with our pets, it has always been a welcome site to see a community that has a dog park where we, and our pooch, can take a break and stretch our legs for a while.
Several of the parks we have visited are simple construction- a 4’ high chain link fence, an open shelter with a picnic table, a source for water, a waste bag station, trash cans, and maybe a shade tree. Some are more elaborate with ‘water parks’ for the dogs to play in; but this is not necessary for dogs to be able to run, play and engage with other dogs.
In conclusion, I think a dog park would be a great addition to our community and would benefit all our citizens-two legged and four legged alike.
Sincerely,
Hugh Lister
Newberry