Injury at West Allis Dog Park sparks change from residents, leaders

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Residents and city leaders in West Allis took action after a puppy was hurt by debris inside the city's new dog park.

Eight-month-old Stella is doing much better than she was last Friday. Her owner, Benjamin Bush, said her paw was cut by broken glass inside that morning.

“[I] noticed a bit of a red patch on her side, I thought maybe she brushed up against a tree, checked on her paw and it was just blood red,” he said.

The blood was coming from long cut on her paw pad. Bush took her to the vet.

“She’s good now. I just took the bandages off her paw on Wednesday," he explained.

Bush also took to social media, and his post helped spark a community clean up last weekend by Dog Park leaders, Bush and local volunteers. The city also erected orange fencing around the wooded area where much of the debris was found.

Mayor Dan Devine said the new park was ideal because of its location, but it was created on land that had been empty for decades. 

“It’s hard to really tell what happened. If it was just people drinking and smashing bottles, or if it was people dumping illegally," he expressed.

Bush said volunteers found trash ranging from broken glass and car parts to shoes and children’s toys. 

Some dog owners told CBS 58 they were happy about the quick action taken by all.

“I think with every park there’s going to be some unfortunate instances," dog owner Roxanne Smith said. “I think they acted upon it right away when they heard that a dog did get injured.”

“I think people need to be responsible and clean up after themselves," Jessica Brost, another dog owner, added.

As for Bush, he says he’s proud of their work and plans to bring Stella back here once she’s healed.

“It’s part of our community," Bush said. “To expect things to be perfect right out the gate you’re just setting yourself up to be disappointed.”

Mayor Devine said this area is also the site of a capped landfill on the north side of the park, which had nothing to do with the trash found on the east side.

He expects the orange fences to stay up through the winter, until city crews can come through with heavier equipment to clean.