I must agree with the letter from S.B. Urquhart regarding the tragic death of a dog hit by a car while running loose. Yes, dogs should be kept on leashes beside busy roads for their safety and the safety of drivers.

The writer suggests that they should be "let to run free in your yard or a park." Now wouldn't that be nice? I would love to know the name of all these parks available where I could let my dogs run free.

Since moving here from Great Britain in December with my three dogs, I am appalled at the anti-dog culture tolerated here.

My dogs are all well-behaved, friendly pets used to running freely in parks and the countryside. They enjoy meeting up with other dogs and playing, and because of this, are friendly animals and a pleasure to own.

Coming here has been a little like a prison sentence for them.

The only place I know of to let them have a little run is on the Belleair Causeway, which is hardly an ideal spot with traffic thundering past. So come on, park officials in Pinellas.

Why not give our dogs a break and designate an area in a park where dogs that are under voice command can run and burn off energy? Put up receptacles for dog waste.

And before we hear from all the "anti-s," who will complain about dog mess, dog biting, barking, etc.: I clean up after my dogs, as do most people I have seen out walking. The majority of dogs are not nuisances, they don't bite and they don't terrorize.

I don't see the police closing down the roads and banning cars because of the few who drive recklessly or speed and cause accidents. I don't see alcohol being banned because of the few who drink too much and cause problems. I don't see all children banned from parks because of the few who cause trouble.

So why not give back a little area in our parks for the taxpayers that own dogs? If you don't like dogs, then keep out of that small area. Use the rest of the park or beach.

Isn't that fair for everyone?
-- Sue Ward, Clearwater

Largo city manager deserves support

To the Largo City Commission and mayor:

Largo is a great town to live in. Its livability is the result of a partnership between a commission that has made mostly good decisions (10 percent) and an operating staff of dedicated and hardworking people in every department (90 percent). This kind of success is only achieved when the attitudes emanate from the top, and they do from City Manager Steve Stanton.

You all think it's so terrible that he interviewed with another city? Get real!

You should feel complimented that in the seven years he's been here, he's been able to hone his skills to a point where he's considered by other, larger cities.

You should feel even better that after the lousy treatment given him in the press because of your remarks, he chooses to stay.

If any of you worked in competitive industry, you would know that executive search firms only bother submitting top talent. If they didn't, they wouldn't be used, would they? You've got a solid manager on board, so why not work with him on the issues you have instead of airing dirty laundry that's embarrassing to everyone and humiliating to you?

Communication is a two-way exercise. Successful companies go to extremes to keep their talented employees. Shouldn't successful cities do likewise?
-- Robert A. Croslin, Largo

Politicians' greed will prevail

Re: Money talks in beach development, letter by Pat Vassar; Tourists come first in Clearwater, letter by Robert Dyson, and Roundabout is driving away tourists, letter by J. Kayser.

Politicians' greed will prevail without respect to geographic location.
-- Ed Wright, Clearwater

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