Macon Dog Park Lab

In our last lab we ventured to the Macon Dog Park and took water samples from the urban creek that ran through it. We also talked about the value of dog parks to people and the communities that they are a part of. Dog parks would overall greatly increase a sense of community in an area. They provide an area where families can come together with their pets and just enjoy being outdoors. It provides a great place for recreation. A dog park generally draws the same type of audience. This brings people together who have similar interest. Their love of their pet and a desire for recreation will bring people to the park from all around the community. This will have a large amount of people with the same interest in the same place. This can lead to the rise of relationships and friendships centered around the dog park. These connections would not have been made had the dog park not been there. The dog parks can also help lower the crime rate in an area. Dog parks generally draw a lot of people and a lot of families with children. When all of these people are present the crime rate tends to drop. Criminals tend to shy away from areas that are heavily populated with these people and families with children.

There is however one downside to dog parks is sanitation. Generally dog parks are kept clean to the naked eye, but just as when a lot of different kids are present in a daycare all of the different dogs coming and going in the park can allow for the spread of diseases and sickness. These diseases and bacteria are not necessarily harmful to humans, but they can be very harmful to dogs. If the bacteria level becomes high enough it can lead to the closing of a dog park. An Austin Dog Park is a perfect example of this. So it is very important that in a park people take responsibility for the animals. They need to clean up after them and make sure they are vaccinated before visiting a public setting like a dog park. If they don't and bacteria start to spread it could cause the closure of the park and the sense of community in the area could be hurt and damaged.