Dear Editor,

About a year ago, my family adopted a precious beagle, Lucy, from Animal Welfare League in Warsaw.

She is tiny – only twenty pounds – and she has learned to obey many commands since she has come to live with us. We love Lucy, and we love taking her around town and enjoying public spaces with her.

On a beautiful day this early summer, I took her – leashed, harnessed, and ready to enjoy the afternoon – to one of Warsaw’s public parks, to enjoy the community where we live, work, pay property and other taxes, dine, and hang out.

A grandmother and two-year-old child stopped to pet Lucy. A man pleasantly fished on the nearby dock. Others read at picnic tables. The sun was shining, but the space was shady. But Lucy and I were asked to leave. A park employee told me that Warsaw parks do not allow pets. I have seen no justification on the parks’ website for this policy, and it keeps families like my own from occupying this public space.

Have a heart, Warsaw – allow pets in public parks. More people, then, will also be able to occupy and use this community space.

Clara Gaddie
Warsaw