Living in Longueuil since my birth, I had the chance to practice and evolve in an environment where sport was valued and served several authorities.
Posted yesterday at 10:00 a.m.
It allowed me to see my friends outside of school hours, it gave me the opportunity to practice physical activities, to set performance goals and to have personal achievements. It even allowed me to have a career teaching physical education, in addition to introducing me to many places in Quebec, Canada and even the United States.
With all these benefits, it is fitting that I wanted to pass on this same passion to my son. Something I think I did, because for 15 years, he has practiced a multitude of sports, winter and summer. We are therefore very happy to be able to play baseball during the summer season. In addition, we are fortunate to have a magnificent baseball field at the corner of our street, that of Laflamme Park, in Longueuil.
The problem is that this magnificent baseball field, completely renovated two years ago, is now considered by many citizens to be a dog park rather than a baseball field.
I know that it can be tempting, having seen it many times, to take the leash off your dog, toss him sticks or any other object, allowing him to run in a fenced environment, without fear that this one does not run away. While taking this time… so that he can relieve himself.
Except that this happy moment turns into a nightmare when a father and his son arrive at the park to play the sport of baseball, on a baseball diamond, and it is occupied by off-leash dogs of all sizes. Not to mention that the ground is filled with sticks to run the dog (which injured my son when he tripped over one of these), and this, not to mention the excrement left by some dog owners.
I believed, until this year, that this situation was an isolated case, until the moment when the father of a player (I am now coach of the Royals of Marie-Victorin, bantam AA, the U15 team of Longueuil) tells me that the same situation is happening in the borough of Saint-Hubert, at Parc Marcel-Simard.
In this sense, I believe it is time for the city council and even the borough council to put up posters on the entrance doors and on the fences near the dugouts to clearly indicate the prohibition of dogs under fine penalty.
Thus, we will promote the practice of sport among our young people, which is undoubtedly more than necessary, while protecting our sports facilities.