My husband and I have lived in Dawson County for the last eight years. We have found it to be a very pleasant experience. However, there is one thing that could make it even more pleasant, a dog park.

We have spent many hours walking the paths at Rock Creek Park and until recently, bringing our dog with us to run the fields. However, very recently there seems to have been an incident where someone brought their dog and allowed it to run freely among children playing soccer, which resulted in a child being injured in some way by the dog.

As a result, all the fields have been posted with signs stating: "No Dogs Allowed Beyond This Point."

While I can understand that children do not want to play on a field littered with dog feces, there should be a place in the park for dogs. For this reason, I am asking the Dawson County Board of Commissioners and the pet owning public to take into consideration the development of an area that would serve the dog owners of our community.

I might be mistaken, but I don't see why a section of the park that is currently not developed could not be fenced and gated to allow for an area for folks to bring their dogs in a safe environment to allow them to run loose and socialize.

Fowler Park in Cumming has just such an area that is enjoyed by many dog owners. People bring their dogs and allow them to run in a protected area. The park provides plastic bags and most owners pick up after their dogs, as well as monitoring their behavior. There is also a fountain that is used to provide water for the dogs.

I think this would be a great addition to the park and am sure that there are many folks that would agree. I would ask that any citizen of Dawson County that agrees with this idea contact Dawson County to show their support. Perhaps if enough folks respond, the county will give the idea consideration.

Sharon G. Artimovich

Dawsonville