Dogs have had their day in the parks

MILFORD - Man’s best friend is now persona non grata in Milford’s playgrounds. Following a public hearing and some mixed comments pro and con, the borough council on Monday amended the borough code making it illegal to bring any dog, other than a seeing eye dog, to Memorial Park, the ball field park or Kennedy Triangle. Following their discussion last month, board members insisted the action was necessary for health and safety reasons, that children shouldn’t be playing in animal waste and that some people simply are intimidated by dogs. Milford already has a “pooper-scooper” law and some who objected felt that enforcement was the issue. “There’s 8 million people in New York and they deal with it. Carry a plastic bag in your pocket,” Tom Holmes advised. “You’re just pushing them out into the road,” he added. Valerie Meyer encouraged the board, recalling a recent dog attack on a Milford six-year-old. She recalled incidents where people were bitten by dogs whose owners never thought they’d bite. Another woman, who would not identify herself, said the problem is dogs are not being trained and their masters not being responsible while walking them. “You can’t control a dog out at the end of a 20-foot leash,” she said. “If people were responsible, you wouldn’t need regulations,” said Councilman James Price. “There are rules, but a lot of people just don’t pay attention,” said Councilman Robert “Bo” Fean. “It’s not that we don’t like dogs .... It’s just not a good idea to have dogs in a place where children play,” said borough president Matthew Osterberg.