Editor:

Gary Crosby hopes to further his campaign against dog access to Willard Beach with his mixture of myth, misinformation and exaggeration. The problem at Willard Beach exists because the dislike some people have for dogs being allowed on the beach, their own personal preference. There is not one iota of evidence that dogs cause any “safety or enjoyment “ issues. 

Mr. Crosby refutes expert medical opinion even though he has no medical and scientific scholarship or qualifications to denounce those opinions. The CDC on it’s Web site warns against “self diagnosis “ and the need to consult a “health care provider.”

 I can not imagine who else Mr. Crosby would want to advise him on “what risks we will take with our children” than a medical health expert who has the scholarship and qualification to do just that! There is no veracity to the claim that children “play in or about” dog feces as Mr. Crosby would have us believe.

As for the numbers, no one, including Mr. Crosby or I, know who is in the majority or minority. Mr. Crosby has 1,000 signatures, there are somewhere in the region of 1,700 to 1,800 registered dog owners in the city. The city’s population is about 23,000, of which I believe, 3,000 to 4,000 vote. 

What is more significant is the number of people, including many children, who use Willard Beach, and attendance this last Sunday must have been at an all time high, during the summer to swim, sunbathe and picnic. These many, many people do not have  Mr. Crosby and his ilk’s’ trepidation in using the beach. Perhaps, like normal people everywhere, on returning from any beach they use soap and water and are cognizant that germs can be everywhere and simply washing will eliminate them. 

The city council has designated hours for dog access to Willard Beach,  leaves 11 hours for the public to be on the beach unencumbered by the presence of dogs .

The hours set by the City Council for dog access is fair to all beach users and should be embraced by all in the spirit of shared usage.

Anthony Young

South Portland