“Students Speak” offers Westport teenagers a chance to share their thoughts and insights with the broader “06880” community.
Emme Dorfman is a junior at Staples High School. She is a member of the varsity soccer, ski and lacrosse teams. While working on a speech for her Rhetoric and Persuasion class, she realized she could actually make this idea happen.
She’s launched a survey (link at the bottom of this story). Emme writes:
I technically only have one sibling. But in my heart, I have three.
One is a freshman. The other two have 4 legs. They spend their days chasing tennis balls and begging for food. Their names are Bode and Ozzie.
Emme Dorfman, and “siblings.”
As much as I love my dog Bode, if he sees a squirrel, I’m done for. In fact, I almost broke my arm while chasing after him at Winslow Park because there was no fence to stop him.
While I did get some good cardio in, it was one of the scariest days of my life. Ever since, I’ve been very distrustful of letting Bode off leash anywhere in Westport.
According to the Animal Humane Society, about 10 million pets run away from their owners each year. That’s millions of families facing horrible moments that could be prevented.
If there were more places for dogs to safely run around and play, this number would drop drastically. For a town that prides itself on being safe, family friendly and community-oriented, it’s bizarre that Westport doesn’t have a single fenced-in dog park.
Although we have public areas for dogs to run around, like Winslow Park, Sherwood Island and Compo Beach, there isn’t one secure, fenced-in dog park, which almost every town around us has.
Dogs love Compo Beach. But they can’t be fenced in there. (Photo/JC Martin)
Weston has one, New Canaan has one, Trumbull has one. It’s time Westport has one too.
Just like humans, dogs love their social time. They need to be able to run around freely to get the mental and physical stimulation they need to stay happy.
Without it they can develop bad behavioral patterns like barking, leash-pulling or anxiety. Not only would this space be amazing for dogs, but it would also be creating a place for residents to connect and bond with one another.
So today, I’m asking that our town representatives consider my proposal to build a fenced-in dog park in Westport.
The average size for a fenced-in dog park is about ¼ of an acre. Winslow Park is 29 acres. With all that space, doesn’t it make sense to dedicate just a small portion to something that would bring so much value to our community?
Winslow Park has fences. But not the kind that keep dogs from running wherever they want. (Photo/Mark Mathias)
To see how a project like this would move forward, I talked to Planning & Zoning commissioner Michael Cammeyer, who expressed his full support for the idea.
While you might argue that constructing it would cost the town a lot of money, the reality is that a dog park doesn’t have to be a financial burden on the town. With all the money our residents spend on dog walkers, doggy care, let alone just toys, we would be able to come up with the funds through a combination of grants from the town and community donations.
This proposal is very realistic, and it fits directly into Westport’s community goals. Two primary objectives of our town’s Plan of Conservation and Development are to enhance the development of our town, while also encouraging sustainable patterns of land use.
To add to that, part of the Parks & Recreation mission statement is to achieve the standards that Westport residents expect of parks. By building a fenced-in dog-park, Westport would be fulfilling both of these missions and prioritizing the desires of its residents.
I understand the feeling of having to stare down your dog anytime you let them off leash, and that’s why I know how relieved dog-owners would be to have a place their dogs can socialize safely.
I’m hopeful we can build Dog-Port, a place where dogs can finally play freely and owners can actually relax. It’s time that Westport takes this idea off-leash, and makes it a reality for our four-legged siblings!
What do you think? To respond to Emme’s survey, click here.
(To submit a “Student Speaks” — or for questions about this feature — email 06880blog@gmail.com. We will work with students — at Staples, private schools or home-schooled — to help craft their story. Anonymity, if requested, is assured.)