The City of Vero Beach lists three dog-friendly parks on its website, but if Recreation Commission Chair Dick Yemm has his way, all City parks will go to the dogs. This movement began with a resolution backed by Council members Amelia Graves and Pilar Turner to begin allowing leashed dogs in three more parks. At a Recreation Commission meeting, longtime animal control officer Bruce Dangerfield testified that the resolution was a bad and potentially dangerous idea. He cited the frequent inability of people to control dogs excited by running children or other animals, owners who ignore the leash law and/or fail to pick up pet waste, and continuous problems with biting and other aggressive behavior. Yemm’s response was a motion, passed by the Commission, expanding the resolution to all parks, which includes the exercise paths at Riverside, Troy Moody, and Charles Parks, and the oceanfront Jaycee and Humiston Parks. The matter now goes to the City Council, which seems to be leaning toward making all of Vero dog-friendly.
As the lone dissenter on this motion, I strongly encourage residents to make their feelings known to the Council by calling, writing, and/or attending meetings. Dedicating spaces specifically for dogs and their owners is the right thing to do, and any such space should be fenced in and carry the same insurance and permits we expect from others who use our parks for their own purposes, such as the model airplane flyers. Opening all of our parks to dogs is wrong. People ought to be able to use City parks for recreation, exercise, and rest without having to worry about encountering unfamiliar, unpredictable animals and all the associated risks. Owning dogs is a personal choice that cannot infringe upon the rights of those who choose not to have animals in their lives.
Lin Reading
Indian River Guardian 
The three of them get my apaws!
Mrs.Reading as I mentioned at the Recreation meeting on Tues it really seems that you were unfamiliar with all of the information concerning the Dog Exercise area .Most of your questions
about this would have been answered had you attended City Council Meetings or took the time to
watch those proceedings online .That being said I appreciate your volunteering to be on the Recreation Committee .
I can visualize little problems occurring in Charles Park, since there is (or was) a squirrel population that sometimes is successful at begging from humans walking on the trails. There is also a wonderful kids’ playground right next to one path. My husband, back when he was able to hike the trail pretty well, saw what looked like a wildcat-sized animal one early morning. I have no objections to responsible people with well-behaved and manageable dogs: It’s the few who aren’t and who may cause serious injuries to unsuspecting folks.
Not everyone is a dog lover. Need I say more?
Allowing dogs in all of the parks would definitely go a long way to making Vero a pet friendly place. I am assuming of course that unless in a specific leash-less area dogs in the parks would be required to be on a leash. There has also been a proposal to set aside a small portion of the southern end of the JC Park Boardwalk beach area as a leash-less dog park for guests at our pet friendly hotels and for our local residents. As the broker for a local real estate firm I can tell you people are looking for areas that are pet friendly. They are especially looking for communities where they can bring their dogs to the beach. Anyone who has ever watched a dog on the beach understands why.
Do we want a pet-friendly Vero or a tourist-friendly Vero? Most vacationers board their animals, that is why kennels are a good business. Does Vero want to become the east coast kennel destination? Checking around other communities may prove worthwhile. Yes, a few restaurants are pet-friendly, and that is fine. The same with festivals, some allow dogs, some prohibit them.
There are too many ifs for me to go “all in” with “every public park must be pet-friendly” concept. What IF owners do not leash, pick up after, pay attention to small children, etc. We all know they all will not. Who will the city hire to police these new areas? We all know the answer is no-one.
I like Vero as is, where we all have choices, not having local government ram legislation down our throats.
Pet friendly is a far cry from pet-dominated. Thanks for listening and enjoy our cool weather!
Please dedicate a place at the beach for dog lovers. Those who don’t care for or want dogs have other places to go. We dog lovers do not. Thanks.
Creating a separate dog friendly beach park is a good idea. The south end of the boardwalk would be ideal it is within walking distance of the dog freindly hotels