As the proud owner of an energetic two-year-old German Shepherd mix, I’ll be the first to say Picayune could benefit from the addition of a dog park.

My dog loves to run, sniff and be free of her leash any chance she gets.

But without a fenced in yard, she doesn’t get many opportunities to do that.

Picayune has many city parks that seem under utilized. Converting just one into a functioning dog park to let residents and their pets socialize and run around would make the city that much more welcoming.

There are many places to walk your dog around town, like Crosby Commons, along the Boulevard and at the Crosby Arboretum.

But having a secure, fenced environment where dogs can play together adds more value.

I often take my dog to the dog park in Slidell, but I would much rather stay in town and save my car-sick pup from a ride across the state line.

While, dog parks are usually free to use, as are most city owned parks, the upkeep isn’t any more than a playground.

There are a number of small parks scattered around town, like Pat Blades Park at the east end of Goodyear Boulevard, that need a little tender loving care.

Removing old and dangerous equipment and replacing it with pet waste stations and water spigots would be a much better use of the space.

Understandably this is just one person’s opinion, but judging by the number of pet owners that walk their dogs along Goodyear Boulevard, I think a dog park would be a big asset to the community.