Unfettered Letters

Dogs at Sunnyside Park

Sunnyside is a wonderful park in south Kansas City. The addition of an area for pets and their owners, designed by a professional architect to include enclosure, landscaping and environmentally friendly features, can hardly be considered “a loss to south Kansas City,” as suggested by Cathleen Lillis (2/23, Letters). Further, current studies have shown Sunnyside to be under-used, not highly used as stated in the letter.

Rather than resulting in mud and left-behind toys, a specific dog area would secure dogs and their owners away from other park users. Small children have their own playground and enclosed spray park at Sunnyside. The tennis courts, basketball goals and other amenities would be separated from the dog area.

Many cities are fine examples of how defined places for dogs can successfully fit into urban parks where children, adults and pets all peacefully coexist and share public recreation space. A 2008 Parks Department survey showed that dog parks are the most frequent request of Kansas City taxpayers. I would hope that the parks board would consider the voices of hundreds from the Waldo-Brookside neighborhood who have petitioned and asked for a dog park at Sunnyside.

Barbara Abend
Kansas City

The dog park task force appointed by Mayor Funkhouser will soon be making its recommendations for citywide dog park locations. We hope the park board will listen to the approximately 667 neighbors near Sunnyside Park who support the excellent proposal put forth by W.O.O.F. (Well-Organized Off-leash Friends).

Not only does the proposal provide an area for small dogs separated from another area for larger dogs, but it includes an additional fenced area that can be alternated if the grass begins to get bare, thus allowing green space at all times. The plan calls for hardy hybrid grass that will stand up to wear and other “green” alternatives such as permeable pavers, tumbled rock pathways and rain basins, to name just a few.

Much time-consuming work has been done by the advocacy group W.O.O.F. Many hours of research, talking with officials in others cities with dog parks, volunteer efforts for fundraising and so forth have been undertaken. Deb Hipp, W.O.O.F. organizer, has done an outstanding job on behalf of our group. The neighborhood would certainly benefit from this beautiful new amenity for Sunnyside Park. And the best part — we are willing to pay for and maintain it ourselves.

Carmen Root
W.O.O.F. volunteer
Kansas City

KC residents want more dog parks

As the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department ponders its budget (2/8, Local, “Expect less from KC parks”), I encourage the parks commissioners to take advantage of our group’s long-standing offer to pay for an off-leash dog park at Sunnyside Park in Waldo. WOOF (Well Organized Off-Leash Friends) has never applied for city funds and has always been willing to raise the money to build this park, when and if it is approved.

On a recent Saturday afternoon I visited Penn Valley Dog Park, where roughly 80 people enjoyed the balmy weather with their pets. The No. 1 citizen request on the Parks Department’s 2008 citizen survey was more dog parks. Here’s hoping that the parks board will meet Mayor Funkhouser’s goal of increasing park usage and set an example for other grassroots groups by working with WOOF to build parks that people want.

Deb Hipp
Kansas City

Overland Park coyotes

I regret I have lived long enough to see something as outrageous as Overland Park’s proposed coyote ordinance (1/15, Local, “Revised coyote ordinance is endorsed; Overland Park proposal calls for the city to do trapping, with residents to bear some of the cost”). This is what happens when people think government should do everything for them and they forget how to take care of themselves. Their brains turn to mush.

There was a time when city government provided basic services, monitored and managed development took care of infrastructure, and provided police and fire protection. Today they feel the need to waste taxpayer dollars by getting involved in everyone’s personal problems and catering to the whiners.

Once upon a time, pet owners were smart enough to recognize that small fuzzy dogs and cats were potential “coyote bait” and didn’t leave them outdoors and unattended in semi-rural areas. Since some residents of Overland Park don’t have good sense, perhaps the city should ban any fuzzy pets weighing less than 25 pounds. After all, they banned “pit bulls.”

Kim M. Krohn
Blue Springs

Protect your pets from winter’s chill

Let’s make sure we protect our companion animals from harsh weather conditions. Just because your dog has a doghouse doesn’t mean it is safe from the freezing temperatures.

People have the ability to find shelter if they want it. Animals that are confined to a yard or, worse yet, kept on a chain or in a cage, have no options but to suffer terribly. Please show compassion and bring your pet inside the house when it dips below 32 degrees. If your garage is not heated, then this won’t be much relief.

A wooden pallet will get your pet off the cold, concrete floor, and a heated, electric dog bed can be purchased at a pet supply store or ordered online. Extra food and water that is not frozen are essential.

In the summer, it is critical to provide a cool, preferably air-conditioned, area for pets when it gets above 90 degrees. A concrete garage floor and an electric fan can provide some relief, but your pet will still need lots of cold, fresh water.

Bring ’em in. When it’s too hot or cold for you, it’s too hot or cold for your pets.

Dawn Sparks
Kansas City

Don’t release pet ducks into wild

Early last summer two adult, tame white ducks appeared at Lakewood Park lake in Kansas City, North. They likely had been brought there by someone who bought the ducks as Easter pets for their children.

By mid-December the ducks were in trouble because they, unlike the wild ducks and geese that also inhabit the lake, would not be able to fly to open water. As freezing temperatures came, I called Kansas City Animal Control and a half dozen other agencies in hope of getting the ducks moved. No one would help.

On Dec. 29, I saw one of the ducks frozen, dead, in the lake. This is a sad end.

People, please be responsible and do not purchase chicks or ducklings for Easter then abandon them in the park lakes. They cannot survive the winter. You should know that.

Linda Hurst
Kansas City

Gusewelle a true friend to animals

I am writing to bring a few additional facts about C.W. Gusewelle and his dogs to the attention of recent letter writers (12/21, 12/30).

Charles is an enthusiastic and longtime supporter of animal shelters, particularly Wayside Waifs. As vice president of Wayside, I was privileged to work with Charles on many special events. The shelter’s annual Fur Ball fundraiser, for example, wouldn’t be the same without his moving words on the plight of homeless animals.

And for years, Charles has requested that organizations donate many of his speaker’s fees to Wayside Waifs. His daughters are equally passionate in other animal welfare organizations.

All of that, I believe, is not negated by Charles’ buying a hunting dog once a decade from a reputable breeder.

Annie Heck
Kansas City

Stop breeding dogs and cats

I am writing to The Star instead of C.W. Gusewelle, because I want my writing read and not thrown into the trash “at warp speed” (12/14, Local, “New litter preserves the Rufus pedigree”).

My parents bred, raised, showed and sold Pomeranians. My sister bred, raised, showed and sold pups. But that was long ago. Today we fight and speak for those who cannot fight and speak for themselves — the strays, the neglected and abused, the hungry and the sick ones.

To help control the pet population, all cats and dogs should be spayed or neutered. And then, just maybe then, we can begin to rid the world of animal cruelty and abuse.

Too many cats and dogs are born, and there are not enough good homes to care for them. Millions of cats and dogs are euthanized every year. Visit any city’s animal control shelter or, better yet, volunteer there for a few days. You will see all breeds of purebred animals waiting to be adopted or euthanized. There are even beagles and Brittanys waiting.

And yes, C.W. Gusewelle, I do have better things to do than talk about your dogs. .

C.G. Spielbusch
Kansas City, Kan.

Put collars and IDs on your pets

It happened again. My husband and I walk our dogs through our neighborhood three times a day. Several times a month we run across someone who is looking for a lost dog or cat. When asked if these animals have ID we are often told, “Oh, no. They’re inside pets, so they don’t need collars.”

So what happens when these “inside” pets accidentally get loose? Most often they’re not familiar with their neighborhood. They become lost, cold, hungry and confused and often are never returned to their rightful owners.

Accidents happen, but if an animal is wearing some form of ID, its chances of being reunited with its rightful owner are immensely greater. Microchipping is, of course, the best solution, but not everyone can afford this procedure. You can get a dog or a cat collar at the dollar store and add a name and phone number.

Remember that generations of breeding out the “wild” in these animals have left most of them unable to withstand this cold weather. Please see that your animals are protected, especially at night.

Joyce Kidd
Kansas City

Saving Brittanys ‘useful’ work

Shrill? So now C.W. Gusewelle is calling his readers shrill? And calling his readers shrill while he spends five paragraphs of his column trying to justify the breeding of a dog? (12/14, B-1, “New litter preserves the Rufus pedigree”)

Maybe if Gusewelle didn’t throw his readers’ letters into the trash with “warp speed,” he’d find out that they are the ones in the trenches performing what he refers to as “some useful volunteer work to keep them occupied.”

They are the ones donating their time, money and gas each week transporting purebred and still abandoned Brittanys across the country to find them a second chance for life. They are the ones worried about protecting each and every Brittany’s life, not just the lineage lucky enough to have lived with Gusewelle.

Janette Boehm
Volunteer driver for Brittany rescue
Houston Lake

Don’t leave children or pets alone in car

How many animals and kids have to be stolen with cars before we learn that you can’t leave babies, animals or anything else of value to us alone in cars?

Then there are the people who leave them in hot cars in the summertime.

How many have to be stolen or die to make people understand that nothing is so important that you have to leave pets or kids alone in the car? It never seems to sink in.

Please people, just think and use a little common sense.

Kay Perkins
Independence