Letter writer off base about dogs

In regard to the letter “Dog owners need to obey laws,” May 5, as a dog owner my entire 58-year-old life, I couldn’t keep from laughing as I read this letter from Mr. Medina. He has demonized dogs even further in a city that is very anti-dog already.

There are almost 100,000 people in Federal Way and the surrounding area. There is one dog park — a measly, 10-acre, dirty, smelly and dangerous park. This is an off-leash park at which my dog was attacked and killed at my feet by a pit-mix. Other dog owners have had aggressive-dog attacks there so severe they drive to other cities to use their parks.

I will never use the one dog park — French Lake — in Federal Way again. Too many pit bulls and irresponsible owners go there, and people training their guard/drug dogs go there.

Parks are for everyone. Yes, dog owners, too. If Mr. Medina ever owned a dog, he would know most dogs need to trot around — smell trees, sniff bushes — dog stuff. Most owners don’t let vicious dogs off-leash and, as I do, carry dog-poop bags. Dog owners have rights, too. In recent years, owning a pet dog has become very difficult due to people who don’t understand us “dog lovers,” and there’s millions of us.

Mr. Medina went so far as to say dogs at the parks disturb the birds and squirrels. Sorry, anytime a human walks through the park/trail, you have scared something. At night, coyotes roam through the parks/woods and defecate and kill and frighten wildlife as that’s nature.

I suggest if Mr. Medina takes walks through Celebration Park woods and other trails in Federal Way he might get a dog for protection as there are worse things on our park trails.

Paula Jacobs, Federal Way