I felt the need to respond to the doctor’s letter to the editor last week. As he says and I quote “To be clear, there is no significant health risk to the public from dog use on Willard Beach as currently permitted and practiced.” Well that brings up a few very important issues, who among us wants to be the one that catches that insignificant disease?  What about your child, your grandchild, your immune suppressed friend or family member or maybe your elderly parent? 

This also does not address the issue of people that are afraid of dogs or are tired of being jumped on by the friendly dog and the fact it is just plain old disgusting. The sheer arrogance and selfishness that is displayed by some to say don’t worry and you are over reacting is breathtaking.  No one has the right to tell me or you that it’s OK for them to take their dog to the beach, use it as a sand box to defecate and urinate in and then tell us go ahead and play in it now.  

I and many others are not going to accept it.  Save Willard Beach group was formed to put people first and that is why we are taking this to referendum. It is time for the tax paying citizens of South Portland to say enough is enough.  Www.savewillardbeach.com is a Web site that anyone can go to and learn more about our cause. There are miles of trails and many other parks in the city to exercise dogs in during the summer not to mention their own property. The beach is not the place. The doctor is hardly objective. He’s a beach front property owner who wants to walk his dogs on the beach in the summer. Six months on and six months off is not too much to ask for, it’s fair, reasonable and was worded using state law as a reference.

Gary Crosby

South Portland