There's no doubt the furry faces at Arlington's Benjamin Banneker Park are having fun. Patch romps across the dusty mulch after Claire, while Eva dashes after Bunker. Red, a mutt rescued from the pound, zooms right into the thick of things, ears up, jolly ribbon of tongue flying free. It's Saturday at the dog park, a fenced-in playground for pets that has become a fixture in the urban landscape. But as open space dwindles in the inner suburbs, the growing popularity of dog runs has sparked a backlash.
Neighbors complain of foul odors, dust, noise and even possible contamination of nearby streams.
And there are the soccer parents who want to know why land should be set aside for animals when there aren't enough playing fields for children. I mean, I used to have a dog, too, but I was never confused that he was a child. I think it's a huge conflict. Even when the dog parks occupy land that would be unsuitable for anything else, there are still parental worries. Those close to the dog park at Fort Ethan Allen, near the Madison Community Center, want Arlington to move the dog run because of safety concerns for their children, including bites, fecal contamination and traffic.