Dog Parks: Worth the Costs?
Dogs need exercise to remain mentally and physically healthy. According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), dogs that don't get enough exercise or social interaction can become unruly animals - barking at and attacking dogs or people, and destroying things at home. For the sake of both dogs and people, the city of Muscatine, Iowa is considering the possibility of building a dog park.
By building a dog park, dog owners would have a place to let their dogs run, play, and socialize. This would lead to better behavior in the dogs. 65% of owners who have left their dogs at shelters have done so due to bad behavior by the dog. A dog park would provide a safe place for dogs where …show more content…
The noise generated in a dog park - both from the owners and their dogs (the bark of a dog can reach 75-100 decibels) can make people stressed and/or unable to sleep. Even in a rural area, the barking of distant dogs can be disrupting, a fact I could back up. A free-romaing dog in a park might attack a person or another dog, and dogs - especially large ones - are powerful and are capable of injuring others. A dog park would also be expensive; the park fencing alone would cost $70,000, and the dog park would take up an acre of land that could be used for housing developments, where dog owners could let their dogs excerise and socialize on the sidewalks.
What should Muscatine do? A dog park can be very important for dogs and their owners, but it can cause problems for the city. To deal with the issue of the noise, the dog park could be built in the outskirts of the city or in a relatively unpopulated area. Free-roaming dogs in a park may attack others, but this will be the case even if a dog park is not built; many dog owners illegally let their dogs loose in prohibited areas. The acre of land could be used for housing, but many developments are not great places for dogs. While the cost of building the dog park may be hundreds of thousands of dollars, Muscatine might become a more popular location for dog owners searching for a new home, which will increase the city's profits.
In conclusion, building a dog park in Muscatine wouldn't be without problems, but the benefits make the costs well worth
Dogs need exercise to remain mentally and physically healthy. According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), dogs that don't get enough exercise or social interaction can become unruly animals - barking at and attacking dogs or people, and destroying things at home. For the sake of both dogs and people, the city of Muscatine, Iowa is considering the possibility of building a dog park.
By building a dog park, dog owners would have a place to let their dogs run, play, and socialize. This would lead to better behavior in the dogs. 65% of owners who have left their dogs at shelters have done so due to bad behavior by the dog. A dog park would provide a safe place for dogs where …show more content…
The noise generated in a dog park - both from the owners and their dogs (the bark of a dog can reach 75-100 decibels) can make people stressed and/or unable to sleep. Even in a rural area, the barking of distant dogs can be disrupting, a fact I could back up. A free-romaing dog in a park might attack a person or another dog, and dogs - especially large ones - are powerful and are capable of injuring others. A dog park would also be expensive; the park fencing alone would cost $70,000, and the dog park would take up an acre of land that could be used for housing developments, where dog owners could let their dogs excerise and socialize on the sidewalks.
What should Muscatine do? A dog park can be very important for dogs and their owners, but it can cause problems for the city. To deal with the issue of the noise, the dog park could be built in the outskirts of the city or in a relatively unpopulated area. Free-roaming dogs in a park may attack others, but this will be the case even if a dog park is not built; many dog owners illegally let their dogs loose in prohibited areas. The acre of land could be used for housing, but many developments are not great places for dogs. While the cost of building the dog park may be hundreds of thousands of dollars, Muscatine might become a more popular location for dog owners searching for a new home, which will increase the city's profits.
In conclusion, building a dog park in Muscatine wouldn't be without problems, but the benefits make the costs well worth