Residents of a Pembroke neighbourhood believe their community park is going to the dogs.

Frances Breary is one of several residents who are opposed to a dog training facility being run in Happy Valley Park on an ongoing basis.

"This is park land and should be treated as such", Mrs. Breary said, expressing her frustration with the facility, which is being run by Gino Brangman.

"I am not opposed to him doing it there, but he should pack it up when he's finished with it. Everyone should be able to use the park in its natural state."

Twenty-year resident Mrs. Breary said issues arose when Mr. Brangman began using the park to train dogs almost three years ago.

She claimed that , when Mr. Brangman first started using the property he used to transport his equipment back and forth.

But recently he has left it at the site on a permanent basis - even though he uses the grounds mainly during the weekends.

Mrs. Breary said that by him doing this, he was preventing neighbours from enjoying the park - a park she said, the community fought hard to get.

"In 1982, pigs were being kept on the land. In 1988, someone tried to put a (horse) riding school and the neighbourhood petitioned against it," she said. "In 1997, it was officially turned into a park and the neighbours were promised that it would be used for nothing else besides parkland."

Stressing that she did not have a personal issue with Mr. Brangman, Mrs. Breary said she could not understand why he was adamant about not packing up his equipment.

"He has a problems with kids breaking up the equipment, so why not store it until he is ready to use it again?" she asked.

"I know there are other dog clubs on the Island - do they leave their stuff out 24 hours a day? I know they don't.

Two years ago Mrs. Breary wrote a letter of concern to the Department of Parks and was told that the matter would be looked into, although nothing has since been done. Mrs. Breary said the lack of action led her and other to believe that Mr. Brangman was receiving preferential treatment because he is a Parks employee.

"We fought too hard for this park to lose it," she said. "The neighbours have been fighting to protect this property for years. Do the dogs have more rights than us?"

A lifelong Happy Valley resident Donnamae Postlethwaite echoed her concerns.

"For years, even before my day, residents have battled for that land. Every time we think we're finished fighting, something else comes up," she said.

"People cannot use the park as they please and they live in the neighbourhood."

But Mr. Brangman vehemently denied that he prevented anyone from using the park. In fact, he said, he decided to use it as a training facility because it was being kept in such a poor state.

He said trash was scattered across the area while mattresses and other household refuse was being thrown in the trees.

"Even a dead dog had been dumped there, so I decided to do something positive with the land," he said.

Along with training dogs, Mr. Brangman said he decided to try to establish a playground for dogs where dog owners would be able to exercise and play with their pets away from the dog-fearing public.

Mr. Brangman, who has been involved in dog training for more than 30 years, said that, apart from Mrs. Breary, he had never fielded a complaint from anyone in the neighbourhood. He said, at least eight neighbours signed a letter saying they did not have a problem with what he is doing.

And he is adamant that he will not pack away his equipment.

"It's there for everyone to enjoy.The children in the area are welcomed to use it. All I ask is if they break something, please let me know," he said.

"At one point, I even erected football goal posts and netball poles down there, and what happened? They were destroyed by the kids."

Mr. Brangman believes the facility is long overdue since dog owners pay a significant amount of money to the Government by way of licensing fees and get nothing in return.

"We've been paying taxes for over 50 years. What do dog owners get for what they pay? I am trying to establish a place where people can take their dogs and have fun."

He admitted that he told Mrs. Breary that people could take their children to the nearby Arboretum to play if they did not like what he was doing.

"Pembroke has more than enough people facilities," he said.

"She's complaining about positive use of the park," Mr. Brangman said.

When contacted by The Royal Gazette, Parks Director Candy-Lee Foggo said since she received a letter from Mrs. Breary in August 2001, she has not heard from her since. She also said besides Mrs. Breary, no one had expressed their concerns about Mr. Brangman's use of the facility.

And she denied that Mr. Brangman has been given any special treatment.

"Whether he is an employee or not, when a member of the public submits a proposal, it goes to the Parks Commission. It is not a Candy Foggo decision.

"Initially, we had some operational concerns, but as far as I know he has kept up his end of the bargain. I would rather have a park being used in a positive way than getting abused.

"I would like for them to strike a balance," she said.