Why So Much Growling Over Dog Parks?

These days, it seems like one of the requirements of being a city is dealing with dog parks—an issue that has shown plenty of bark in some cases.

St. Louis Park is the latest to join this club, as a Tuesday afternoon meeting degenerated into a between big dog owners and little dog owners. At issue are segregated areas for the two groups, and whether access is being granted fairly.

Southwest Minneapolis has seen the dog park issue generate plenty of back-and-forth this year, as residents and officials have tried to identify a site for a new dog park—often with plenty of .

Golden Valley, too, has been dealing with , although to date, emotions have not gotten as heated as in St. Louis Park or Southwest Minneapolis.

Three years ago, St. Paul residents voiced complaints over noise and parking at a neighborhood dog park, prompting the formation of a formal citizen advisory group, the Twin Cities Daily Planet reports.

Undoubtedly, a trip to other metro areas across the country would reveal similar neighborhood issues. Dog parks are becoming more prevalent and more popular, and with that has come a wave of dog park controversy.

So why is that? Quite possibly, it’s simply an extension of people’s long-standing love of pets—particularly dogs—and their desire to protect their own. Whatever is at issue, it will be interesting to see how things play out in St. Louis Park. Just don’t expect this dog park drama to be the last one you see.