reprieve

http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/373257.html

the process worked the way it is supposed to, and we got what many of us asked for. now it's time to step up and provide solutions to the issues that started this whole thing. anti dog sentiment will not go away. i have been appalled by how mean spirited and nasty some of the statesman blog comments are.

we'll meet at the foothills learning center next wednesday evening from 7- 9 p.m. to plan a poop scoop/education day and to discuss ways of improving educational efforts. the more we can help the city help this succeed, the safer our access.

thanks to everyone who worked so hard to get this far.

no problem

i have talked to lots of dog owners who believe that this will go away with enough petition signatures & protest at city hall. these people are responsible folks who pick up after their dogs, have dogs under control and generally are courteous. they don't see the behavior the on- leash trails proponents see.

the thing is, whether we see it- or even believe it- or not, perception is reality.

reading comments on Zimo's blog about the petition http://voices.idahostatesman.com/outdoors (scroll down until you see the one about the petition) makes it clear that people, including other dog owners, think there are problems. There is a comment toward the bottom from Lanz who was on the working group, which is very detailed as to why this proposal is the only answer. Lanz goes to great lengths to explain why he/she believes that alternative, less restrictive options are not an option.

dog owners need to be prepared to present an alternative and show that we are serious about organizing and being involved to preserve access.

it does no good to take shots at other user groups- we are really all in this together, and the sooner we work together to make it work for everyone the better off we will be. we need a comprehensive plan that addresses all user groups (thank neighbor dave for that one) and we need to make sure that each user group is fairly represented when changes are proposed.